Already with a 10-point lead, a 7-0 run to end the first half and an 11-0 run to start the second were almost not enough for the Jefferson Davis Community College Warhawk basketball team at home Thursday against Enterprise.
The Warhawks, who built a 28-point lead (50-22) with 15:21 left in the game, saw their lead get cut to six (71-65) with 58 seconds left.
From there, JDCC would end the game on a 10-6 run and win the game by 10, 81-71.
The win was the second straight win for the Warhawks who improved their record to 5-6 overall and 2-0 in conference play.
The fifth win this season tied JDCC’s total wins from 2009 (5-20) and puts them one win shy of their win total from the past two seasons combined (6-46).
JDCC head basketball coach Allen Gainer told his team—who outscored Enterprise 39-22 in the first half, but was outscored 49-42 in the second—in the locker room after the game the win felt like a loss.
“We had an opportunity to cut someone’s throat and put the game away, but instead of that, we started getting a little selfish and started playing for our own stats,” Gainer said. “We didn’t play hard and we let them pick their way back into it.”
Gainer said his gave his team the example of the Duke Blue Devils.
“When Duke, with about seven minutes to go, when they have a lead it’s over,” Gainer said. “They spread the floor out and you can’t foul them. They still score. The last two minutes tonight, we get the ball and run two seconds off the clock. You can’t get the game to end. No. 32 for Enterprise, I saw him against Pensacola when I went to scout them, I saw him hit six threes in the last 1:01. Our guys are thinking when the game is down to 12 points it is over. With him on the floor, it wasn’t over. We get the technical foul and we didn’t do what was necessary to win the game. I feel like we have an opportunity to win the south division, but a team that will win the south does not finish a game like that. It feels like a loss, but fortunately it is not a loss.”
The Warhawks were 6-for-8 from the free throw line in the first half and 15-for-18 in the second for a total of 21-for-26. Enterprise was 2-for-5 in the first and 9-for-19 in the second for a total 11-of-24.
The Warhawks were 10-for-12 down the stretch in the final 1:35 when their lead was down to 12.
The Warhawks had 12 scorers in the game with three in double figures.
Kahlee Tyler led with 17 points and Braylon Lazare had 14. Daryl Duncan was the other double figure scorer with 10 points in the win.
Turmonte Ragland, Larel Jackson, and Gabriel Rice all had eight points while Brandon Scott added five.
Chris Peak had four points and Travis Allen and Derell Washington had two each along with Sherman Presswood.
Joshua Fealing added one point in the win for the Warhawks.
JDCC is set to play another conference game Saturday at home against reining south division champions Alabama Southern. Game time is set for 2 p.m. in Brewton.
JDCC will travel to Faulkner Tuesday and will play at home against LBW Thursday.
Both games will begin at 7 p.m. and are conference games.