Quinn McDowell was visually upset with his Baylor basketball squad as he ripped into his team during a second-half timeout in Monday's matchup against Silverdale Baptist.
Despite trailing by seven early in the fourth quarter, the Red Raiders responded with two massive steals in the final minute of regulation of a 57-56 win in the semifinals of Christian Heritage High School's Christmas Tournament.
Senior point guard Mantas Paldauskas created the first of those key turnovers with suffocating defense on an inbounds pass. The crafty veteran stole the ball under the hoop and cut Baylor's deficit to one with a left-handed finish with 47 seconds to play.
The Red Raiders (10-2) generated another turnover shortly after and scored the go-ahead basket as junior Karolis Anuskevicius tracked a teammate's missed field goal attempt off the right side of the rim for an offensive putback with 27 seconds left to play.
Anuskevicius' game-winning bucket came just nine days after he hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to beat Miami Palmetto, 80-79, to win the Smoky Mountain Christmas Classic held at Gatlinburg-Pittman High School.
"We knew coming in that Silverdale would be a tough game," McDowell said. "They played extremely well, and they were more physical and maybe even more disciplined than us. I didn't think we were at our best, but we found a way to win and get some big stops late. I am happy with the win, but not with how we played."
Judah Richardson led all scorers with 28 points, which topped his previous career high of 27 points in the Seahawks' recent road win over Soddy Daisy. Silverdale (8-3) received a major spark from senior Tanner Bayne, who provided toughness in the paint with key offensive rebounds and scored 10 points in the second half.
Baylor's leading scorer on the season, sophomore Jake Neal, scored eight of his 10 points in the third quarter, including two long-range 3-pointers.
After Paldauskas tied the game at 51, Richardson answered with a three-pointer from the right wing with 3:04 remaining. A layup by Bayne gave the Seahawks a 56-53 lead with over two minutes remaining, but the Red Raiders' defense created the opportunities for the late rally.
Anuskevicius scored six of his 11 points in the fourth quarter, which included a tough leaning jumper, while senior guard William Baker led Baylor with 12 points. Paldauskas added 10 points, and fellow senior Ezra Sixto accounted for nine points and eight rebounds in the victory.
"We stuck this game out to the finish on a day where we were not shooting well," McDowell said. "We have had a couple of very close games this year, and we have found a way to finish on the right side of those results. Silverdale was a tougher team than us today and outplayed us from a physical standpoint. We were just able to execute down the stretch."
The second half featured five ties and four lead changes between the two teams.
Baylor will have a chance to sweep the Christian Heritage Christmas Tournament, as the girls will play Heritage at 4 p.m. Tuesday in the championship game, followed by the boys at 5:30 against host Christian Heritage.
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com.
Lady Red Raiders Hold Off Woodstock, Advance to Championship
The Baylor School girls basketball team is heading back to the finals once again.
Baylor closed out a strong nightcap on Monday, holding off Woodstock (GA) 55–49 to punch its ticket to the championship game. The Lady Red Raiders will play for the title on Tuesday at 4:00 p.m., with their opponent to be determined.
Game two of the tournament proved far more challenging than Baylor's opening-round win, as Woodstock pushed the pace and kept pressure on the Red Raiders throughout. Baylor answered with poise down the stretch, making timely plays on both ends of the floor to secure the six-point victory.
Aubrey Bush led all scorers with a game-high 24 points, continuing her strong tournament play. She was supported by a balanced effort from her teammates, as Xahara Willis and Schoti Marchand each added 11 points, while Amiya Leach chipped in seven.
With the win, Baylor returns to the championship stage—much like the Smoky Mountain Tournament in Gatlinburg—this time with hopes of finishing the job and bringing home the title.
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