Carver boys, girls earn home victories against Shaw

The Carver boys and girls basketball teams are undefeated for yet another week after hosting Shaw Friday night. The Lady Tigers shellacked the Lady Raiders 94-44, while the Tigers came from behind to beat the Raiders 74-63.

After the Carver boys edged Shaw 63-60 on Dec. 5, it seemed likely another classic would be in store. For the majority of Friday’s contest, that narrative rang true.

Carver fell behind in the first quarter thanks to poor shot selection and lackluster rebounding, which allowed Shaw to end the period on a streak with a 19-11 lead. The Tigers showed some signs of life in the second but trailed the Raiders 35-29 at the half.

The tables turned in the Tigers’ favor come the start of the second half.

Carver could do no wrong in the third quarter, forcing several and-one fouls and finally showing its aggressive side in regards to attacking the basket. The renewed energy showed up on the scoreboard, as Carver outscored Shaw 27-14 in the quarter.

None of those 27 points were bigger than the final three. With just seconds left on the clock, Devin Flowers inbounded the basketball to a teammate and then headed to the corner behind the 3-point line. His teammate fired the ball back to him, and Flowers quickly got a shot off before the buzzer sounded.

Flowers’ shot hits its mark, sending the Carver bench and the fans behind it into a frenzy. From there, it was all Carver.

“That was real big,” Carver boys coach Warren Beaulah said of Flowers’ shot. “I think that kind of got them excited. I think that’s when we figured, ‘OK, we’re probably going to get out of here with a victory.’”

AJ Watts led Carver in scoring with 19 points, tying Shaw’s TJ Mitchell for the game high. Keyon Taylor posted 13 points for the Tigers, while Jalen King had 11 points and a team-high 8 rebounds.

Watts’ resurgence was something Beaulah had been patiently awaiting.

“He’s a game changer,” Beaulah said. “He had a rough spot where he kind of had a couple of bad games, and I said, ‘AJ, after the year you had last year, I know you can play. I expect a whole lot more out of you. If you’re not engaged and playing, we struggle.’ He kind of didn’t understand at first, but I think he got it.”

The Lady Tigers, meanwhile, started slow against Shaw, but it sure didn’t stay that way for long.

Carver jumped out to a 15-1 lead in the first only for Shaw to score nine of the next 10 points. The Tigers then cranked their defensive intensity up to a level the Lady Raiders could not handle, which allowed Carver to surge ahead and go into halftime with a 38-17 lead.

Things only got worse for Shaw from there. Going into the fourth quarter ahead 69-34, the Lady Tigers brought in their reserves but didn’t slow down the pace. Carver’s backups were just as strong as the starters, posting 25 points in the final eight minutes.

“We’ve got some young girls who work hard,” Carver girls coach Anson Hundley said. “They go up against the older girls every day. They’re starting to get it, and they’re looking better and better.”

Mariah Igus led all scorers in the game with 22 points. She also had 4 rebounds and 3 steals in the victory.

“She’s a big part of the team,” Hundley said. “She scores with ease when she’s scoring. She’s the person who can put some points on the board, especially if we’re lacking in scoring.”

This story was originally published December 15, 2017 at 11:03 PM with the headline "Carver boys, girls earn home victories against Shaw."