‘Big-time players making big-time plays.’ Henry Clay, Woodford battle till the buzzer.
Kanye Henderson’s short fade-away jumper from the left wing as time expired lifted Henry Clay over visiting Woodford County 59-58 Tuesday in a battle of top 20 boys’ high school basketball teams in Lexington.
Though the Blue Devils led by as many as 11 points in the first half, they trailed by four, 41-37, at the end of the third quarter. Woodford County expanded that lead to seven, 49-42, after two Jasper Johnson free throws with 4:45 to play.
Eighteenth-ranked Henry Clay chipped into No. 20 Woodford’s fourth-quarter lead with a bucket and some made free throws over the next few minutes, setting up a Henderson three-pointer that cut the deficit to 53-51 with 1:38 left. More free throws from each team followed until a Henderson layup tied the game at 57 with 0:24 on the clock.
A foul of Woodford’s Santonio Wade sent him to the line with 12 seconds left. He made one of two free throws, setting the stage for Henderson’s winning moment.
”Big-time players making big-time plays!!” Henry Clay Coach Daniel Brown posted on Twitter after the game along with the stats of his trio of guards, Henderson, Aziel Blackwell and Konlin Brown.
Henderson led all scorers with 27 points and added five rebounds and four steals He scored 15 of his points in the fourth quarter. Blackwell scored 22 points with five rebounds, while Brown chipped in seven points with two assists. Johnson led Woodford with 19 points; Jackson Twombly added 15 points.
Though the No. 18 Blue Devils rank ahead of No. 20 Woodford in the Dave Cantrall ratings, Henry Clay is unranked in the latest Associated Press poll, while the Yellow Jackets rank as the No. 7 team, making for an upset of sorts and added excitement for the student section who rushed the court after the horn.
