By Jim Workman
Greenbrier East needed an extra push in an extra period, and it got it.
The Spartans edged Roanoke Catholic 75-73 in overtime in a Big Atlantic Classic contest at the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center Thursday night.
Jalen Walker nailed two free throws with 2.9 seconds left in OT to give East (6-9) its third straight victory.
Walker connected for 25 points, 13 in the second half, and teammate Hayden Roberts scored 23 of his game-high 27 after the intermission as the Spartans mounted their comeback.
“We were down, so it was a real gut check,” Spartans coach Jerry Bradley said. “We had to fight for it. They were bigger, so they were a tough matchup for us. But our kids stepped up. We just made one more play than they did.”
The Spartans were still down by eight points with 3:37 left in the third quarter, but went on a 12-2 run to close out the period with a 51-49 advantage heading into the fourth.
Each team missed two free throws inside the last 18 seconds of regulation with the game tied, missing opportunities to seal a win.
Andre Sinclair added 10 points and nine rebounds for East.
Archie Hicklin led the Celtics with 26 points.
Roanoke Catholic (10-8) was a late replacement in the tournament, taking the place of Hedgesville, which returned home at the direction of the Berkeley County Board of Education on Thursday afternoon because of a looming snowstorm in the Eastern Panhandle.
The Celtics agreed to come to Beckley about seven hours before the scheduled tipoff. Roanoke Catholic had been scheduled to participate in another tournament, but it was canceled.
Greenbrier East is scheduled to play the winner of the Logan-Morgantown game Saturday at 5:30 p.m., weather permitting.
— E-mail: jworkman@register-herald.com
