Isaiah Lewis floated in a game-winning shot as time expired to help No. 2 Millbrook defeat Forest Hills 64-62 in Wilmington’s 25th Annual Leon Brogden Holiday Basketball Tournament.
The Wildcats fell behind by six in the second half, but a pair of late offensive runs allowed Millbrook to carry its unblemished record into the new year.
Millbrook out-scored the reigning 2-A state champions 17-16 in the first quarter and 12-11 in the second, but Forest Hills’ Trey Belin downed 18 first half points to keep the Yellow Jackets within striking distance.
Nas Tyson opened the third with 5 points to give Forest Hills a lead that it would maintain for a significant portion of the third stanza.
Tyson connected on three shots from beyond the arc as the Yellow Jackets built their largest lead of the game, 39-33. Phillip Burwell answered back with 7 points to fuel a 10-0 Millbrook run that pushed the Wildcats back in the lead 43-39.
The two heavyweights traded punches for the remainder of the match.
Tyson, Bellin, and Jai Rorie regained the lead late in the third with three consecutive three-point field goals. Forest Hills lead 49-47 until Isaiah Lewis rushed to the rim and scored at the horn to knot the game at 49 through three.
0-for-5 shooting in the first half, Millbrook’s Collin Lewis guided the Wildcats through the fourth quarter.
With scoring opportunities at a premium, the senior scored three times in the opening four minutes of the period to give Millbrook a 57-53 lead.
Forest Hills resorted to its bread and butter, the long ball, to keep the Wildcats on their heels.
Jamylan Blakeney dialed up his first three of the night to pull within 57-56, then with the score favoring Millbrook 62-59, Rorie tallied the Yellow Jackets’ 13th three of the game after his long-distance shot bounced off of the back-rim and in to tie the score with 21.6 seconds left.
Millbrook’s William Felton scored 10 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the victory. After putting the Wildcats ahead 61-59 late in the fourth, he earned possession via jump ball with 11.5 seconds left following a missed attempt at a go-ahead basket.
Out of a timeout, Isaiah Lewis buried the game winning score to clinch the Wildcats’ first victory at the Brogden since 2008.
In seven appearances at the Leon Brogden Tournament, Saturday was the sixth time that Millbrook had advanced to the championship game.
The Wildcats improved to 14-0 this season, and picked up their third first place finish in the event.
Millbrook was lead in scoring by Burwell’s 16 points, Felton’s 10, and Collin Lewis’ 10. Burwell was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament, Sam Hood and Isaiah Lewis received all-tournament team honors.
Forest Hills falls for the second time this season, and takes home the runner-up trophy. Belin’s 24 and Tyson’s 18 lead the Yellow Jackets and were good enough to earn a spot on the all-tournament team.
Laney defeated Jay M. Robinson 59-50 to claim third place in the tournament. Laney earned the championship in the girls portion of the tournament with a 51-28 win over the host school, Hoggard.