Horton's big shot elevates Cougars in thrilling NEA win over Riverside

Cougars Kirk Horton (4) and Brandon Stevens (21) each had strong performances for Rector in their win over Riverside in the first round of the NEA Tournament. Horton scored 21, while Stevens had 17 points. [Click to enlarge]

Kirk Horton's driving layup with 1.5 seconds left proved to be the game-winner for the Rector Cougars in a 47-45 victory Monday afternoon over Riverside in the first round of the annual NEA Invitational Tournament at Jonesboro.

The winning basket came after the Cougars worked the clock down after gaining possession following a crucial block of a Riverside shot by Brandon Stevens. Coach Matt Mills called timeout with 30.3 seconds left and his team managed to retain possession before cashing in on Horton's big shot.

Mills said his strategy was to set a pick to free Tyler Kirklin on the low post, but that didn't materialize. Horton then decided to drive down the left side of the lane and rolled in the winner for the Cougars. A last-second desperation shot by Riverside fell short and Rector advanced to test fourth-seeded Rivercrest at 6 p.m. Wednesday (today).

It was the only field goal of the night for Horton.

"It seems like Kirk is always right in the middle of things at the end," coach Mills said. "This was a busted play and he stepped up and got it done for us."

After a closely-contested first quarter that saw Rector emerge with a 13-10 lead, the Cougars caught fire in the second frame and blitzed to a 28-17 margin. That 11-point cushion was the result of a torrid shooting performance by Stevens, who hit four treys in rapid succession.

Jake Emery hit a three-pointer at the second period buzzer for the Rebels, closing the halftime gap to 28-20.

That shot was a sign of things to come for Riverside, as the Rebels came out blazing after the break. Rector was outscored 14-2 over the first four minutes of the third period to fall behind 34-30.

A field goal by Stevens and his three-point play with 2:06 remaining in the third frame put the Cougars back ahead 35-34. Riverside then recovered to take a 38-37 lead heading into the final period.

The situation looked bleak for the Cougars when Cole Winford scored for Riverside to make it 45-41 midway through the fourth. But that would be the final points of the game for the Rebels.

Clinton Haley notched a basket for Rector before fouling out at the 3:01 mark.

Kirklin then hit from inside to tie it at 45-45 with 2:20 showing, setting up the winner by Horton.

Kirklin led all scorers with 21 points, followed closely by Stevens with 17. Rounding out the Rector scoring was Horton 4, Zach Burleson 3 and Haley 2. The Cougars hit five treys for the game and went 8-10 at the charity stripe.

Jake Love led Riverside with 18 and Josh Anderson added 9. The Rebels also had five three-pointers in the game while going 4-6 at the free throw line.

The win boosted Rector to 4-8 for the season. The Cougars have lost three games this year on buzzer shots and another in overtime.

"Defense has been our stronghold this year," coach Mills said after the game, "but I didn't feel like we defended well tonight."

"I knew it was going to be tight at the end and it just so happened that we had the ball at the last. While we didn't play all that well, we did make some plays down the stretch.

"Brandon's shooting in the second quarter was a key for us and Tyler had an incredible first half. We had enough guys step up to get us the win. I've told them that a good team finds ways to win even when they don't play well."

Mills said his team struggled offensively against a Riverside team that is known for playing strong possession defense. He hopes the offense is able to click a bit better in the upcoming game against a strong Rivercrest squad.