The Preston varsity basketball program closed out the first-half portion of its 2023-2024 regular-season schedule this past Monday in Eufaula.
Both roundball contests were determined in the final seconds with the Preston cage squads coming away with a split decision in the final hardwood contest of 2023.
The Lady Pirates needed a free throw by senior Anistyn Garner with 0.3 seconds left in regulation to walk away with a thrilling 41-40 victory over the host Eufaula Lady Ironheads.
In the nightcap, the Pirates had their 5-game winning streak snapped with a heartbreaking 5451 loss to the host Ironheads.
Both Preston cage squads go into the Holiday Break with identical 6-2 records and will return to the hardwood January 2 in their home opener against county rival Morris. The home opener will begin with girls action at 6 p.m., followed by the boys county battle at approximately 7:30 p.m.
In Monday’s girls game at Eufaula, the Lady Pirates trailed 18-12 after a back-and-forth opening frame, then cut the Eufaula lead to two, 23–21, at halftime after escaping the low-scoring second period with a 9-5 advantage.
The host Lady Ironheads doubled their lead to four, 33-29, heading into the final eight minutes of regulation after a 10-8 margin in the third quarter.
The Lady Pirates took the first seven minutes of the fourth period by an 11-4 advantage for a 40-37 lead late in regulation.
Eufaula buried a game-tying 3-point basket with about 14 seconds left in regulation and the contest appeared on its way to a 4-minute overtime period when Garner was fouled with 0.3 seconds remaining while trying to snare an offensive rebound on a missed jump shot attempt.
The senior sank the first charity toss to give the Lady Pirates the 4140 advantage, then, following a Preston timeout, missed the second free throw intentionally to run out the remaining 0.3 seconds off the gameclock and give the Preston ladies the thrilling 41-40 victory.
Garner led a trio of Preston double-digit scorers in the win, finishing with a team-best 15 points. Fellow seniors Shaunassi Jordan and Emilie Stidman joined Garner in double figures on Monday with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Savannah King and Josie Cope rounded out the Lady Pirate scoring against Eufaula with four and one, respectively.
In Monday’s boys contest, the Ironheads doubled up on the visitors 18-9 in the first period, while the Pirates took the second quarter 12-9 to cut the Eufaula lead to six, 27-21, at halftime. The Preston squad made it a 5-point deficit, 4237, with eight minutes remaining in regulation after edging the host Ironhead squad 16-15 in the third stanza.
The Pirates began the final frame with a 9-0 run to take over the lead at 46-42 and led 51-49 with 1:37 remaining in regulation following a pair of free throws by Giorgio Dunn-Spencer.
Eufaula knotted the score at 51-51 with two charity tosses with 58 seconds left, then went ahead 54-51 with a goahead 3-point basket with 10.6 seconds remaining.
The Pirates attempted a game-tying 3-point shot at the buzzer that just missed its mark, putting the Preston squad on the short end of a heartbreaking 54-51 decision.
Dunn-Spencer and Jervais Goree were tops offensively for the Pirates on Monday with 19 points apiece. Tanner Young was next in the scoring column for Preston with six, followed by Jayden Smith with four and Ethan Moore three.
— Girls Game
Preston 41, Eufaula 40
Preston: 12 – 9 – 8 – 12 (41) Eufaula: 18 – 5 – 10 – 7 (40) Preston Scoring: Anistyn Garner 15, Shaunassi Jordan 11, Emilie Stidman 10, Savannah King 4, Josie Cope 1.
— Boys Game
Eufaula 54, Preston 51
Preston: 9 – 12 – 16 – 14 (51) Eufaula: 18 – 9 – 15 – 12 (54) Preston Scoring: Giorgio Dunn-Spencer 19, Jervais Goree 19, Tanner Young 6, Jayden Smith 4, Ethan Moore 3.
