Jones’ buzzer beating three lifts Charles City over Sussex

Charles City’s Gavin Cotman pushes the ball up the floor past Sussex’s Deshaun Gay.

Andre' Jones photo

“We didn’t deserve to win that game,” said head coach Sharone Bailey as he held his forehead in his hands while slumped in his chair.

But fate, and admitted luck, intervened as Avery Jones’ turnaround trifecta at the buzzer capped off a miraculous comeback for Charles City’s Panthers (12-9 overall, 9-2 Tri-Rivers) as they defeated the visiting Sussex Central Tigers (10-10, 7-4) 70-69 on Feb. 7.

Yet despite Jones’ miracle shot, it was junior Gavin Cotman who put the Panthers in prime position for the win.

The Panthers entered the final quarter trailing the guests 54-40, largely in part to the combination of Tiger sharpshooter Deshaun Gay and six-foot-two point guard Charles Bryant. The duo wreaked havoc on the Panthers as Gay had 14 points by the end of frame, including four trifectas, and Bryant used his size mismatch to create opportunities for his teammates.

As Jones sat on the bench with four fouls, Cotman and fellow classmate Antonio Harris helped the Panthers creep back into the game. Harris converted on back-to-back layups to cut the lead to 10. Cotman would then drain back-to-back long balls to trim the deficit to single digits with 4:30 to go.

Cotman continued to show his versatility with another three before his tip-in on a missed free throw narrowed the gap further. He then converted two free throws pulling the Panthers within two at 61-59.

But the Tigers failed to relinquish the lead down the stretch. Kevin Diggs converted on an uncontested lay-up and was followed by Bryant’s intercepted pass by Jones to give the guests a six-point advantage. The margin remained at six until under a minute to go when the hosts pulled back within one.

With 6.6 seconds left, Sussex’s Ladarius Mason converted one of two from the charity stripe to give the guests a 69-67 lead.

After an inbounds pass to halfcourt, the Panthers immediately called time out. With 5.3 seconds showing on the clock, Jones took the ball, looking to drive to the basket. A double-team forced him back to the perimeter from where he released a desperation shot. The ball swished through the net as the horn sounded, touching off a wild victory celebration.

Bailey described the last play of the game as it was drawn up during time out.

“I told the team to set picks for both guards and we were going to drive to the basket,” he said. “When that didn’t happen Avery just took it outside and took a tough shot and he nailed it.”

Bailey lavished high praise on Cotman, who scored 15 of his career-high 23 points in the final frame.

“Gavin is the most versatile player on our team,” the head coach said. “He does a little of everything and can cover every position and play every position.”

Bailey concluded his interview, talking about how he coached horribly and needed to motivate his team more.

“We have to stop playing down to other team’s levels. We have to buy into our press and what we do. We also have to find another consistent third scorer as well.”

Harris led the team with a game-high 29 points, followed by Cotman’s 23. Avery Jones finished with nine, Jaelan Cotman scored five, and Daron Jones ended with four.