By David Wheeler
Special to Corinth Today
TUPELO – The game was perhaps the best anticipated boys matchup in this corner of the state for the regular season – the Corinth Warriors at the Tupelo Golden Wave.
And Antares Gwyn was simply “the man” Friday night.
Two of the best teams in the area sent the end of the regular season out with a bang, with Gwyn hitting the game-winning shot with 3 seconds to play, giving Corinth a 63-61 victory.
“This was a heck of a game,” Corinth head coach Keith Greene said. “Everybody goes back to their class now, but you want momentum.
“To play hard, to play well, and be rewarded means momentum for next week.”
Gwyn, the Corinth senior, certainly carried momentum with him this night. Not only did he hit the winning basket, Gwyn notched his third 20-20 game of the season.
Corinth (22-2) needed every bit of Gwyn’s effort, moving to as much as a 36-22 lead early in the third quarter. Tupelo (23-4) crawled back, and consecutive baskets by E. J. Fuller to begin the fourth quarter gave the home team a 44-41 lead.
But Tupelo showed its mettle with Tyjil Hereford tying the contest at 61-61 with 27 seconds left on a 3-pointer.
The Warriors worked the ball down, around, then into Gwyn, who powered the winning shot in from the left block.
“His stats are unbelievable this season,” Greene said. “He’s amazing around the rim, and he plays his heart out.”
Gwyn scored 25 points on the night, and collected 20 rebounds. Fuller paced the Wave offense with 21.
Girls: Tupelo 68, Corinth 62: The girls contest warmed up the playoff intensity, with the Lady Wave making a nice push in the third quarter to lead 49-40. The Lady Warriors then pulled as close as five points in the closing seconds.
Jalancia Kohlheim led Tupelo (20-7) with 26, while Aundrea Adams hit 26 for Corinth.
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