Merrol Hyde Magnet senior forward Zach Shonting eyes the basket as Hendersonville Christian Academy sophomore Jalen Cole (13) and senior Blake Smith defend during second-quarter action. Shonting scored 10 points.
HENDERSONVILLE Senior night wasn’t just a celebration.
For the Merrol Hyde Magnet boys prep basketball team, it was a challenge … one that the Hawk seniors answered.
Jenord Taylor’s layin with 3.8 seconds left in overtime gave the Hawks the lead as they defeated visiting Hendersonville Christian Academy, 53-49, on Thursday evening.
Taylor drove to the basket from the right side as a lane opened up for the senior point guard.
“It felt great that my coach and our team trusted me to take the shot, even though I made a few mistakes throughout the game,” Taylor said. “It felt good.”
The ensuing possession saw HCA sophomore Joseph Mussnug advance to mid-court before the Hawks fouled him with 1.8 seconds remaining. Crusader head coach John Taylor called timeout, but he did not have one available, costing the Crusaders a technical foul.
Jenord Taylor made both free throws to put the game away.
John Taylor said it wasn’t the first time a technical had been assessed to him for calling too many timeouts, but Thursday’s instance was the first time it happened accidentally.
“It happened once, but it was on purpose,” John Taylor said. “Tonight, I didn’t realize that I didn’t have one more (timeout) left in overtime. I thought I had an extra timeout, and I didn’t.”
Jenord Taylor had a chance to win the game in regulation, but his half-court try narrowly missed at the buzzer. On the previous possession, HCA senior guard Emilio Quemada had a go-ahead basket wiped out due to a charging foul with four seconds left in regulation.
Hendersonville Christian Academy senior Emilio Quemada penetrates along the baseline as Merrol Hyde Magnet senior Zach Shonting defends during first-quarter action. Quemada scored 15 points.
“It’s very unfortunate,” John Taylor said. “I’m very proud of my guys. It was a hard-fought game. They played their hearts out.”
Quemada fouled out with 1:13 left in overtime, after junior Andre Hambrick had already been disqualified after picking up his fifth foul with 1:13 left in regulation.
“Having Emilio and Andre both out really limited us offensively with ball-handling and scoring threats,” John Taylor said. “Not having those guys in to bring stability and experience in those situations really made a big difference.”
Quemada and Mussnug scored 15 points each to lead the Crusaders offensively. Mussnug connected on five of HCA’s eight 3-pointers.
“Mussnug was so clutch tonight,” John Taylor said. “I’ve been challenging other guys to step up and score than just Emilio.”
Jenord Taylor led the Hawks – who had four players score in double figures – with 17 points.
Merrol Hyde Magnet sophomore guard Connor McCutcheon dribbles around Hendersonville Christian Academy sophomore Jalen Cole during second-quarter action. McCutcheon scored 12 points.
“(HCA) played a great game,” Jenord Taylor said. “I was coming off of a groin injury, and I wasn’t sure how much I’d be able to play. Our fans came out and they were cheering the entire game. There were some times that I couldn’t hear. That’s a great feeling.”
Both junior forward Connor Dunn and sophomore guard Connor McCutcheon had 12 points for the Hawks, while senior forward Zach Shonting scored 10. Senior Kyle Richardson had two points, coming on two free throws with 1:13 left in overtime.
“It’s very satisfying,” Merrol Hyde Magnet head coach Kory Craighead – whose squad claimed a 57-41 victory when the two teams played on Jan. 7 – said. “It’s one of those games where it’s senior night, and your seniors come out with a lot of emotion. As a coach, you can expect the first quarter to be one of those where you kind of don’t know what you’re going to get.”
HCA jumped out to a 7-0 lead, but the Hawks put together a 10-0 run over the first and second quarters, taking a 26-23 lead before halftime.
>> The Crusaders faded late in Friday evening’s 55-42 loss to visiting Friendship Christian.
HCA suffered a 58-18 loss at FCS on Dec. 11.
On Friday, the Crusaders (2-24 overall, 0-9 in Division II-Class A East/Middle Region District 1) faced a 30-21 deficit at halftime but rallied in the third quarter to pull to within two points (40-38) entering the final period.
However, the Commanders pulled away from there.
Senior guard Joey Fragnoli led HCA offensively with 12 points, followed by Hambrick (9), Blake Smith (6), Mussnug (5), Devin Carlisle (3), Jalen Cole (3), Jack Antemann (2) and Quemada (2).
Junior guard Zach Blair led FCS with a game-high 16 points.
>> Merrol Hyde Magnet was outscored by a 37-9 margin over the second and third quarters of Friday evening’s 66-32 loss at Goodpasture.
The Hawks (5-13 overall, 2-8 in District 8-A) dropped a 56-33 decision to visiting Goodpasture on Jan. 15.
McCutcheon scored a team-high 17 points on Friday, followed by Ollie Talmadge (7 points), Dunn (5), Shonting (2) and Taylor (1).
Junior guard Spencer Smith led the Cougars with a game-high 18 points.
Reach Chris Brooks at cbrooks@tennessean.com or at 615-575-7118. Follow him on Twitter @CB_SumnerSports.
HENDERSONVILLE CHRISTIAN (49) – Joseph Mussnug 15, Emilio Quemada 15, Devin Carlisle 8, Andre Hambrick 5, Blake Smith 4, Joey Fragnoli 2.
MERROL HYDE MAGNET (53) – Jenord Taylor 17, Connor Dunn 12, Connor McCutcheon 12, Zach Shonting 10, Kyle Richardson 2.
Half: 26-23, Merrol Hyde Magnet. End of regulation: 44-44. Three-point goals: HCA 8 (Mussnug 5, Quemada 2, Hambrick 1), Merrol Hyde Magnet 3 (Dunn 1, McCutcheon 1, Taylor 1). Records: HCA 2-24, Merrol Hyde Magnet 5-12.