Buccaneers reach semi-finals with win over Canton
Southern Sports & Travel
Bowling Green punched their ticket to the Class AA State Tournament semi-finals with a 59-54 win over Canton last night in Grenada. Jerrel Mark had a game high 23 points to lead the fourth ranked Buccaneers to their fourth Class AA State semi-final appearance in the past five years.
Canton would get off to a strong start as the Panthers built an 8-4 lead following a Christopher Reed 3-pointer from the wing with three minutes gone in the opening quarter of play but Bowling Green reeled off a 12-4 run fueled by the inside play of Jerrel Mark and timely 3-point shooting from juniors Mac McElveen and Grant Ball to finish of the quarter with a 16-12 lead.
(Above) Bowling Green's Jerrel Mark (#44) pulls down an offensive rebound
Canton would regain the lead at 23-22 at the 5:19 mark of the second quarter on a Nathan Simpson offensive rebound and put back but Bowling Green once again finished the quarter strong.
Patrick Roublow served up an assist to Jerrel Mark to give Bowling Green the lead at 24-23 and Grant Ball extended the lead to 27-23 with a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 1:52 remaining in the first half of play.
Bowling Green went up 29-23 on Mac McElveen’s driving lay-in with 44 seconds left and McElveen hit one of two free throws with just under four seconds left in the quarter to send the Buccaneers into intermission holding a 30-23 advantage.
Bowling Green wasted little time in gaining their biggest lead of the night as Keith Paul Dufrene’s steal and lay-in extended the margin to 32-23 fifteen seconds into the second half.
(Above) Grant Ball (#3) of Bowling Green nailed five 3-pointers on the night
Jerrel Mark’s basket in the paint at the 4:47 mark gave Bowling Green a healthy lead at 40-30 but Canton exploded with a 12-0 run as the Panthers capitalized on Bowling Green turnovers to take a 42-40 lead with 2:06 left in the third quarter and the lead would change hands three more times before a Mac McElveen basket, plus one, ended the quarter giving Bowling Green a slim 47-46 lead.
McElveen’s 18 foot jumper gave Bowling Green a three point advantage at 49-46 to start the final quarter but Canton’s Christopher Reed proved to be a handful as the senior kept the Panthers close.
Reed’s 17 foot jumper at the 6:07 mark knotted the contest up at 51-51 and the Panthers would grab the lead at 52-51 on a Kraft McLean free throw with 5:45 remaining in regulation but that would be the last lead for Canton.
Bowling Green’s big man, Jerrel Mark, served up an assist to McElveen in the paint to put the Bucs up for good at 53-52 with 5:30 left.
Keith Paul Dufrene then found Mark under the basket at the 3:35 mark to extend the Bowling Green lead to 55-52.
(Above) Canton's Christopher Reed (#32) scored 22 points
Christopher Reed’s bucket at close range would pull Canton back to within one point at 55-54 with 1:37 remaining but Bowling Green iced the matchup with a Mac McElveen driving basket and a Patrick Roublow fast break lay-in off a long rebound with 16 seconds left in regulation to take a 59-54 win.
Bowling Green was led by Jerrel Mark with 23 points, Mac McElveen added 17, Grant Ball 15 (five 3-pointers) and Patrick Roublow and Keith Paul Dufrene 2 apiece.
Canton (17-13) got 22 points from Christopher Reed, Kraft McLean added 13, Nelson Chisholm 10, Nathan Simpson 4, Taylor Case and Garrick Jackson 2 each and Calvin Brown 1.
Bowling Green will take on second ranked Brookhaven Friday at 7:15.
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