Missed free throws sink Darlington against Hartsville
By Drake Horton, Contributing Writer
So many times this season the Darlington Falcons have looked like it was the better team. So many times this season the Falcons have had the lead in the fourth quarter. So many times this season the Falcons have lost those games.
This past Saturday, at home, against the Hartsville Red Foxes, the Falcons lost another one of those games, losing 67-65.
“I feel for our guys; we have competed in every game,” Darlington boys head coach Ken Howle said after the game. “I can’t fault their effort, our decision making is not good and obviously our free throw shooting is not good.”
Up by 10 points early in the fourth quarter, Darlington needed to do one simple thing to win: make free throws.
“Good teams make free throws down there,” Howle said. “When you are ahead, other teams have to foul you, you have to go to the line and make free throws and we can’t do that and that is why we can’t win right now. You can’t protect the lead if you can’t make free throws.”
Overall, the Falcons were 11-24 from the charity strip for 45.8 percent, going 5-13 in the fourth quarter for 38.4 percent.
“They shoot them pretty good at practice, but practice is a different thing,” Howle said. “You got to have players that want the ball in their hand in crucial situations.”
For the first three quarters, Darlington controlled a majority of the play, leading for a majority of the time, and then came the fourth quarter.
After Hartsville scratched and clawed its way back into the game, Darlington held a 61-57 lead with 1:28 left. Then the free throw nightmare really began for the Falcons.
Up 61-59 after a Hartsville basket, Darlington’s Jalian Smith went to the foul line on back-to-back possessions, but converted only two of four attempts. That allowed the Red Foxes to convert on another offensive possession with 38.4 seconds to cutting the Falcons four point lead back to two.
Forced to foul, the Red Foxes sent Darlington’s Montrell Timmons to the line, but he was only able to hit one of two, keeping it still just a one possession game; this is where Hartsville finally capitalized.
On its next possession, Hartsville scored while getting fouled forcing the free throw attempt and a chance to tie the game with 24.6 seconds.
Instead, the Red Foxes missed the free throw, but grabbed the offensive rebound and a hit a layup giving Hartsville its first lead since early in the third quarter with just 16.3 seconds left.
Down by one, Darlington turned to its offense and the results were more of the same. Hartsville fouled Timmons, who missed the first but made the second free throw to tie the game at 65 with 12.7 seconds left.
Hartsville was not to be denied, however, as the Red Foxes got back to charity strip one final time, hitting both free throws with 8.3 seconds left.
The Falcons rushed down court, looking to tie or win the game, but Timmons rushed his shot and the clock ran out.
The loss was the Falcons’ fourth in row, dropping them to 10-12 overall, 2-4 in the region.
Weekly Recap
The Falcons played one other game this week, losing 52-46 on the road against Lugoff-Elgin on January 31.