Rock band Foreigner’s 1977 hit ‘Cold As Ice’ would have played well as a post-game hit Friday night in the Cave Spring gym.
More like veins of ice from Cave Spring senior Mason Reyer.
Hitting three straight free throws after being fouled on a jumper from behind-the-arc with 11.8 seconds left in the game, Reyer calmly found nothing but net as the Knights pulled out the 58-57 win over the previously unbeaten Vikings.
“I was thinking I just need to hit two to keep the game going,” Reyer said in the Cave Spring locker room of going to the line with the Knights trailing by two. “After I hit the first one, I forgot about the pressure and it wasn’t that big to hit the next two.”
Easier said than done, especially for Cave Spring head coach Jacob Gruse, who was coaching the Knights’ third straight opening season game against playoff caliber teams.
“I thought ‘oh, boy, just make two,’ ” Gruse admitted afterward. “When I saw the first one go down, I felt good that Mason was going to sink the next two.”
Northside still had one last chance, but Cave Spring held the trump card with two fouls to give before the Vikings reached the bonus at the line.
Cave Spring fouled with 6.3 seconds left, but Northside, forced to inbound from back court, could only get off a desperation heave that fell well short as the horn sounded, sending the Cave Spring student section flooding the court in celebration.
It was the second time in a week the two teams battled to the end after Northside prevailed last Friday night in the Viking gym in an overtime thriller.
“It’s a great rivalry, two great teams,” Northside head coach Billy Pope said. “Mason’s a gamer hitting those free throws. Cave Spring shot the ball well and I thought we played hard. I was proud of our effort. We had a six point lead, had a couple turnovers and they converted.”
Gruse returned the compliment.
“Northside is one of the best teams in the state,” Gruse noted. “The last several games have been decided by what, one point, overtime? Both teams are better off with these games.”
“Tonight, we got our hands on the 50/50 balls and played some good defense in the second half,” Gruse added. “And, we made free throws.”
The game was a nail biter from the outset.
Northside led 14-9 after one quarter and 30-28 at the break. After Reyer’s 3-pointer put Cave Spring ahead 31-30 to start the third quarter, Viking senior George Bright returned the favor with a blanketed 3-pointer at the buzzer that sent the teams to the final frame with Northside up 51-47.
The Vikings were up 55-49 in the fourth before Cave Spring senior Zach Shannon hit one-of-two free throws, and followed with a put-back and foul at the 4:02 mark that closed the Viking lead to 55-53. The Knights tied the game at 55, before Northside senior Kendrick Tucker put the Vikings up 57-55 on a pair of free throws with 2:29 left. That left Reyer’s final free throw heroics to settle the decision.
Reyer led the Cave Spring scoring with a game-high 18 points, while Knight senior Brody Hicks added 11.
Tucker paced the Vikings with 14 points, while Bright poured in 12.
Bill Turner
