After losing its first bout to Gainesville High by 20, Discovery High made Friday’s Senior Night game a real test for the Red Elephants, who emerged with a 61-59 win despite not having standout and Georgia State signee D’Marcus Simonds.
With 16.3 seconds left in the contest, the Titans’ (11-12, 4-9 8-AAAAA) DJ Young hit a contested 3-pointer in the corner to pull within one point of the Red Elephants (16-4, 13-0), 60-59.
Messiah Dorsey received the inbounds pass and was fouled almost immediately. He made the first of his two free throws, but missed the second, leaving a one-possession game.
Young went coast-to-coast with the ball and got fouled to shoot two foul shots for the tie with 6.5 seconds remaining. He missed both.
From there, Gainesville threw the ball in, held on and won the game.
“I’m really proud of our kids,” said Gainesville coach Benjie Wood. “Our kids have been through a whole lot this year and dealt with a whole lot of adversity. But no matter what, they just keep fighting, keep persevering and keep sticking in games as a family. I’m real proud of them.”
Down the stretch, Dorsey was a rock for the Red Elephants. He made five points in each the third and fourth quarters to help total 12 points on the night. That included making three of four free throws inside the final minute of the game.
Young was the go-to guy for Discovery in the second half, netting 11 points after the break. On the night, he converted on four 3-pointers and finished with 21 points.
After falling behind 14-8 in the first quarter, Gainesville more than tripled its offensive production in the second quarter with 25 points and the Titans were able to cling tightly to a 35-33 lead.
Bailey Minor was the centerpiece of the offense in the first half for the Red Elephants.
Minor scored six of the team’s eight points in the opening quarter. In the second, he accounted for 12 of the 25.
Minor finished the contest with 22 points to lead all scorers in the contest.
“Bailey played a great game,” Wood said. “He probably would have had 30 (points) had he not been in foul trouble. He’s just a great kid and gives us everything he has out there.”
Xavier Bledson scored 11 points to complement Dorsey in the front court.
Bledson gave a highlight early in the second half when he threw the ball off a defender’s back on an inbounds pass. The Gainesville guard scooped the ball off the Discovery player and laid it in to break a 37-37 tie.
“I was really happy for (Xavier),” Wood said. “He’s struggled lately, but this was his kind of game. When we needed him, he really stepped up. I’m really proud of him.”
JeVonte Gordon had 11 for the Titans with three 3s on his stat line. Teammate Curtis Newman posted 10.
In total, the Titans combined for nine 3-pointers in the game.
Wood would not give insight following the game as to why Simonds wasn’t listed in the book or even on the bench.
Up next for the Red Elephants, they’ll travel to Winder to play Apalachee High Tuesday. The boys will tip off at 7:30 p.m.
GAINESVILLE GIRLS 67, DISCOVERY 26: Eleven different players scored for the Lady Red Elephants (15-4, 11-1 8-AAAAA) Friday as they celebrated Senior Night.
The 41-point victory for Gainesville kept the Lady Titans (0-23, 0-12) winless on the season.
With so many people scoring for the Lady Red Elephants, only one player reached double digits.
Tija Blackwell scored 10 first-half points and totaled 12 in the contest.
Taylor Hawks, Kayla Kelly and Shikaya Brown each contributed nine points.
Discovery was led by freshman forward Kyasia Overstreet with 13 of the team’s 26 points.
Gainesville will play at Apalachee Tuesday with a 6 p.m. start.