Gator boys come up short

MONTGOMERY — There will be no state title repeat for Glenwood’s boys.

Faith broke a Glenwood run with a bucket with 8.5 seconds to play in the third quarter — a score that keyed a 19-3 burst as the Rams moved to the state title game with a 70-56 victory Friday at Huntingdon College.

For Faith, the Rams will have a chance to put a final touch on its dominant AISA years against Bessemer before moving on to the AHSAA’s Class 5A next season.

“We missed a lot of shots and just didn’t play very well in spurts,” Glenwood head coach Dusty Perdue said. “We tried to use timeouts to stop their run. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.

“They’re a very good team and very athletic. They got after it on the defensive end — and I’m ready to see them go to public school now.”

While the Rams’ fourth-quarter burst ultimately decided the game, Perdue also pointed out his team’s foul troubles as a big part.

Ethan Maske, one of the Gators’ surest ball handlers and shooters, was benched in the third quarter after picking up with fourth personal foul. For the game, Glenwood was hit with 25 personal fouls, 12 coming in the fourth quarter.

“I’ll never be one to talk about officials, but it was really one-sided,” Perdue said. “It seemed like they got every call when the game was on the line.”

Faith was able to build an 8-point lead in the third quarter before Glenwood found an answer.

William Tanzie started an 11-1 run with a 3-pointer at the 3:10 mark.

The run was capped off when Dudley Taylor hit a jumper while being fouled. He missed his free throw, but Kanden Blackmon tipped in the rebound to tie things at 36.

Taylor then gave the Gators its first lead since the 20.3 mark of the second quarter with a bucket.

Glenwood appeared to grab even more momentum with a turnover.

But a pass from Blackmon was immediately picked off by Faith’s Chris Bunce, who hit a layup with 8.5 left in the half.

From there, Faith took control with the 19-3 run, including a stretch of 13 unanswered points.

“One little basket turns into a big deal,” Perdue said. “I still felt good going into the fourth quarter, though.”

Glenwood finishes its season with a 24-7 mark.

Tanzie led the Gators with 16 points, while Blackmon tacked on 11 points and 15 rebounds.

Three Rams scored in double figures, led by 19 points from Michael Pierce.

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