Free throws push Klein Forest past Mesquite

WACO ? A close game got out of hand late and Klein Forest was the biggest beneficiary.

The Golden Eagles sank 11 of 14 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter to pull away from Mesquite and advance to the Class 5A Region II championship with a 55-45 victory at Baylor University?s Ferrell Center on Friday night.

Klein Forest will get another crack at a Dallas area team in Plano East, which defeated The Woodland College Park 62-42 in the other semifinal.

Chris Hines? 14 points paced Klein Forest as four players scored in double digits for the Golden Eagles (32-3). Darrius Campbell chipped in 11 points, while Toure Murray and Elliott Lloyd each finished with 10.

Hines clinched the win from the charity stripe in the game?s final minutes, hitting 5 of 7 from the free throw line to give Klein Forest an advantage it held on to for the rest of the night. The Golden Eagles led 32-31 going into the final eight minutes, but pulled away by outscoring Mesquite 23-14 the rest of the way.

On a night when both teams struggled to hit shots, free throws proved to be the ultimate difference. Klein Forest scored 14 points from free throw line, while Mesquite shot only eight the entire game.

Chase and Travis Hallam did a great job keeping the game close through the first three quarters, combining to score 22 points on 9 of 19 shooting from the field. The rest of the Skeeters (28-8) weren?t much help offensively, hitting a combined 7 of 17 from the field.

Yet the game played at a back-and-forth pace for most of the night as the two sides traded the lead seven times and neither led by more than three until the closing minutes.

The loss snapped a 10-game winning streak by the Skeeters.

Date of Article: Fri Feb 29, 2008 11:34 pm