Bethel Beats Campbellsville in Last Seconds
MCKENZIE, Tenn. -The Bethel Wildcats took a late lead in the final minute against Campbellsville to edge the Tigers 82-79 Thursday night in Crisp Arena. Querrion Gadson put the 'Cats on top with a 3-point play in the box with just two seconds left on the clock.
Bethel trailed Campbellsville at the end of the first half by just four points. Connor Guthrie led the Wildcats with 17 points. The 'Cats shot 50 percent in the first half.
The Wildcats and Tigers were neck to neck for the entirety of the second half. With less than ten minutes left, the Wildcats took a 77-71 lead. Keyshawn Kennedy had seven points to help the 'Cats take the lead.
The Tigers were able to tie the game at 79 with just 16 seconds left on the clock. Bethel's Gadson ran the play clock down then drove to the basket where he made the shot and drew a foul. Gadson drained the extra point to put the 'Cats on top with just two seconds left. The Wildcats locked down their defense to secure their 82-79 victory.
The Tigers had a 53 field goal percentage for the game. Campbellsville went 31-58 with shots in the game. Malik Muhammad led the Tigers with 21 points with 16 of those coming in the paint. Jace Wallace had 20 points with eight defensive rebounds as well. Keaston Brown had 14 points for the Tigers.
Guthrie led Bethel with 20 points going 7-for-12 in the paint and 4-for-6 from the free throw line. Tyler Neely chalked up 18 points going 6-for-6 from the foul line and having five shots in the paint. Neely also drained two 3-pointers. Keyshawn Kennedy came off the bench with 17 points. Gadson had a total of 15 points going 3-for-3 at the free throw line.
The Wildcats as a whole had a field goal percentage of 52 percent and shot 50 percent from behind the arc. Bethel went 20-for-24 from the free throw line as they played most of the second half in the bonus.
The Wildcats moved to 10-7 overall and 6-6 in the league after the victory. The Wildcats will stay at home for their next game and will play host to the Lindsey Wilson Blue Raiders on Saturday, Jan. 14. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m.
Coach Jeff Britt who was honored before the game on his recent 500th win commented, " We did the little things tonight that allowed us to win. I am proud of our resilience and how we hung in there. This was a mic victory for us and should give us more confidence as we continue to improve."
Article by SID staff member, Erin Douglas