With Quitman leading by one going into the locker room, Nemo Vista’s Red Hawks began the third quarter on a 10-1 run and the Bulldogs never completely recovered, falling 52-45 on Thursday night in Quitman.
Tim Smith drilled a 3-pointer from right elbow to give Quitman an early lead but Ethan Banks grabbed an offensive rebound and hit a double-clutch shot and then Banks drained a 3-pointer from top of the key, giving the Red Hawks a 5-3 lead.
Ryan Johnson ball faked his defender and drove the right side for a layup but Marshall Bryant fired back with a 3-pointer from right corner before Aaron Parker sliced down right baseline for a layup and Johnson nailed a 3-pointer up top, giving Quitman a 10-8 advantage.
Isaac Peevy tied the game back up with a stick back but Ryan Bettis turned an offensive rebound into a free throw for the Bulldogs before Banks found Bryant for a short bank in transition.
Johnson responded with a 3-pointer from left wing off an inbounds play but Phillip Henderson retaliated with a half-court shot at the buzzer, giving the Red Hawks a 15-14 lead entering the second quarter.
After Parker made a free throw early in the second, Bettis turned a Parker steal into a 17-foot jumper from right baseline but Henderson countered with a 3-pointer from up top off an assist from Bryant.
Lance Fires made a difficult fall away shot over two defenders as Quitman jumped back in front but Henderson popped another 3-pointer up top, giving the Red Hawks a 21-19 lead.
Fires turned an offensive rebound into a free throw but Preston Ross made a slick left-handed tip-in before Fires answered with two consecutive buckets, including a fade away jumper from left baseline and midrange jump shot from right baseline.
Quitman pushed its lead to three when Johnson found Bettis cutting to the hoop for two but Trey Paladino converted an offensive rebound into a free throw then Ross drove coast-to-coast and finished with a gliding reverse layup.
With the game knotted at 26-up, Smith made a free throw with 22 seconds left in the first half, giving the Bulldogs a 27-26 lead at halftime.
The Red Hawks opened the third quarter on a game changing 10-1 run as Banks drained a pull up jumper from free throw line then Bryant found Banks backdoor for a layup before Ross got a stick back, giving Nemo a 32-27 lead.
Banks turned a steal by Ross into a layup as Nemo’s lead grew to seven before Fires made one from the charity stripe. But Banks followed his own miss for two before Bettis ripped a 3-pointer from right corner off an assist from Fires, leaving the Bulldogs with a 36-31 deficit.
Nemo closed the third period with four straight as Banks sliced through the lane for a layup and Ross scored on a breakaway, giving the Red Hawks a 40-31 lead entering the final eight minutes of play.
Peevy made a short jumper from left baseline as Nemo extended its lead to double digits early in the fourth quarter but Quitman responded with a 7-0 spurt, sparked by Parker’s power dribble for two from left block.
Smith added a breakaway layup and then he buried a 3-pointer from top of the key as Quitman pulled within four before Ross sank a free throw. Trailing 43-38, Bettis got a stick back but Bryant answered with a jump shot.
With 3:12 remaining, Parker made a free throw to pull the Bulldogs within four but Ross slashed down left baseline and finished with a reverse layup before Parker made two from the stripe.
Ross made a pair of free throws that pushed Nemo’s lead to 49-43 but Quitman kept clawing as Smith converted an offensive rebound into two free throws.
With less than 20 seconds left to play, Banks connected on 3-of-4 from the line to put the game away as Nemo Vista claimed a 52-45 victory.
Banks scored a game-high 18 points for Nemo Vista while Ross added 13, Henderson finished with nine and Bryant had seven.
Smith paced Quitman with 11 points and Bettis added 10 while Johnson, Fires and Parker each scored eight.
