Amherst captured the Seminole District regular-season title last week with a win over Liberty Christian Academy and also secured the No. 1 seed for the Conference 23 tournament by virtue of LCA’s victory over George Washington.
Amherst opened the week with a 64-62 victory over LCA when Thaikwon Ward knocked down a pair of free throws with nine seconds remaining.
Both teams got off to a quick start with the Bulldogs jumping out to an early lead, 21-20, after the first period.
Amherst roared back to take the lead, 38-33, at the half.
The two teams exchanged the lead during the second half.
CJ Loving tied the game with less than a minute remaining and Ward knocked down his game-winning free throws.
LCA had a chance to win or tie, but Amherst forced a turnover and captured the regular-season crown.
Micah James led the Lancers with 24 points. Loving added 13 points and shot 7 for 8 from the free-throw line. Ward had his best performance of the season with 12 points and eight rebounds.
Amherst entered the season finale at Rustburg as the No. 2 seed in Conference 23, and needed a victory over the Red Devils and an LCA victory over GW.
The Lancers rallied past the Red Devils, 51-45, and then secured the conference’s top seed when LCA defeated GW in Danville.
Amherst trailed Rustburg by four points in the fourth quarter when James knocked down a huge 3-pointer and was fouled to fuel the come-from-behind victory.
The Lancers struggled with the Red Devils’ slow-down approach and trailed by five heading into the final quarter.
However, James (game-high 18 points) and Loving (10 points, seven rebounds) helped Amherst improve to 15-4 heading into Tuesday’s conference semifinal contest at home.
The Lancers could host the Conference 23 championship game with a semifinal victory.
Submitted by Brian Carter
