It was a game that came down to what might be the easiest shot in basketball: the free throw. It is free, after all.
Athens didn’t make them when it mattered; Alexander did. That’s what led to Athens’ 50-44 loss Friday night in Alexander’s gym, nicknamed “The Alley.”
Coach Mickey Cozart had few words after the game.
“We have to make foul shots down the stretch, that’s the difference in the game,” he said. “It’s that simple.”
It was a close game throughout. At the end of the first quarter, a one-point game. At the end of the second quarter, a three-point game. At the end of the third quarter, a two-point game.
Athens led at halftime and all the way through the second half, until there was 2:20 left and Alexander hit a three-pointer to tie the game.
And after that, Athens began to foul Alexander.
Once in the bonus, the Spartans didn’t miss. It was one free throw down after another. Athens couldn’t keep pace on the offensive end — it just couldn’t get any good looks from its half-court set.
Not making free throws didn’t just hurt down the stretch for the Bulldogs, it hurt all game long. It was a physical game with a lot of fouls. A free throw made here, a free throw made there, and it might have been a different game.
It looked as if the Bulldogs had a chance late, when Isaiah Butcher hit a long 3-pointer — almost from the block “A” at half-court — to cut the Alexander lead to three with 38.9 seconds to go.
And then, 28 seconds later and a Athens possession later, Alexander was at the free-throw line, up five, shooting to add to its lead. The Spartans made one of the two free throws, and that made the final deficit of the game for the Bulldogs.
This loss drops Athens to 2-1 in the Tri-Valley Conference, putting Athens in a tie for second place in the conference with Vinton County; Alexander stays undefeated in the TVC, and takes sole control of the top spot.
Athens will play Saturday night against Logan. The Bulldogs will look to get a split of the weekend’s games, and to keep their overall record near .500 at 3-4.
