COLD SPRINGS – Tanner was able to take advantage of missed opportunities by Cold Springs in overtime Saturday night that allowed the Rattlers to stun the Eagles and head back home with the AHSAA Class 2A, Area 14 championship.
Tanner rallied from a one-point deficit in the final 18 seconds of the extra period, capturing the crown at Jesse George Gymnasium 83-81 and ending the Eagles' eight-game home winning streak.
Victory seemed to be right in the grasp for the Eagles when senior forward Josh Freeman ripped a 3-pointer from the left wing with 0:35 to play in overtime and his squad was ahead 80-79.
However, Freeman missed two free throws with 24 seconds remaining that could have iced it for the Eagles. Then Cold Springs failed to get a layup to go and couple of close range shots after the missed layup, resulting in a Tanner possession that led to the Rattlers' Kameron Mull getting fouled with four seconds to go in a tie game.
Mull knocked down the first, missed the second, but an alert Javeous Johnson beat all five Cold Springs players to the ball, getting the rebound and drawing a foul with three seconds to go.
Johnson calmly made both FTs, sending Tanner ahead 83-80.
The Eagles' Triston Chambers tried to get off a 3-pointer while he was getting fouled by a Tanner defender when he advanced the ball into frontcourt. The officials ruled the foul was before the ball was released from Chambers' hands. He only had two attempts, not three, with the clock under one second remaining.
Chambers dropped in the first attempt, intentionally missed the second, but time ran out and so did the Eagles' chances of repeating as champions in 2A, Area 14.
Cold Springs trailed 71-66 with 1:28 to play in the fourth quarter as they rallied by two free throws from Cayde Elliott and a three off the hands of Freeman from the left baseline.
The Eagles got the ball with 6.7 seconds left after Tanner turned it over near its basket. But Chambers' three as time expired was no good and overtime was witnessed in front of a standing room only crowd on the Cold Springs campus.
Chambers would deliver 43 points in what is his final game at Cold Springs. The senior was six of 11 in 3-point field goals and 19 of 23 from the foul line. Chambers also claimed 14 rebounds and played the entire 36 minutes.
Freeman, a senior, closed out with 27 points on 11 of 21 field goals and ripped down 13 rebounds, nine on defense.
Mull scored 33 for the winning Rattlers, producing 17 of 21 from the foul line and eight of 18 from the field. Johnson tossed in 20 and was effective from the line with six of seven made.
Tanner was 32 of 42 from the line with Cold Springs 23 of 32 in a foul plagued game that had three Eagles disqualified and 58 fouls called, 30 on the Eagles and 28 against the Rattlers.
Cold Springs is 22-8 and will head to Mars Hill Bible in Florence Tuesday for the Sub-Regional game. A victory there, the Eagles are playing Friday in the Northwest Regional at Wallace State at 7:30 p.m. against the winner of the Phil Campbell-Altamont game.
