By Michael Adams
madams@onthesidelinessports.com

GEORGETOWN – As the saying goes, if at first you don’t succeed, try try again.

Elgin guard Nathen Lewis on Thursday missed a pair of free throws in a tie game with 9 seconds left and got the rebound.

After some controversy over an injury timeout, Lewis took the ensuing inbound pass and drove to the basket for the game-winning layup to send visiting Elgin home with a 56-54 victory over East View at Patriot Gymnasium in Georgetown.

• See more photos from Thursday’s game

“Right there towards the end, Nate made some real crucial rebounds, wasn’t able to finish it, but at the end of the game, he finished it when it mattered,” said Elgin head coach David Wilson. “That was a huge win for us. East View is a really good basketball team, they have a few good wins, so to come into their place was huge for us. It’s a great way to start Christmas break.”

Lewis was the game’s leading scorer with 25 points, scoring 10 in the first quarter.

Elgin (12-2, 1-0 District 23-5A) used an 8-0 run to open the game to create distance from an athletic East View team.

The Patriots (11-5, 0-1) scored six straight points that started with a three-pointer from junior Coreyan Bright, which was his only points of the game. Junior post Gabe Brooks added the other three points from a field goal and free-throw as part of the run.

Brooks led East View in scoring with 19 points while junior forward Terrion Benson added 17.

The Patriots were able to keep the game close, but never held a lead in the first half as Elgin took a 29-28 advantage into the locker room.

The Patriots took their first lead early in the first quarter on a pair of free throws by Brooks. However, Tyson McFarlin hit a three-pointer for his first points of the game on the ensuing Elgin possession to retake the lead.

McFarlin was 0-for-5 on field goal attempts, 0-for-2 from behind the three-point line and 0-2 from the free-throw line in the first half.

East View took their second lead in final seconds of the third quarter, but junior Amar Bermudez made a three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Wildcats a 42-40 lead going into the final frame.

The Patriots tied the game at 44 in the early moments of the fourth quarter on a Jayden Prioleau three-pointer, but Elgin scored eight straight points to retake the lead.

East View got some momentum in the final minutes when Terrion Benson slammed home a dunk to give the Patriots a 54-53 lead with 1:11 left in the game. Elgin drove the ball downcourt and missed three straight layups.

Junior guard Marcus Hickman was fouled on the third missed layup and made 1-of-2 free throw attempts, which tied the game at 54 with less than a minute left in the game.

That’s when Lewis’ heroics helped the Wildcats to escape with the win.

Up Next

East View at Wimberley Tournament, Dec. 28-30

Elgin vs. Hyde Park, 1:30 p.m., Dec. 28

Box Score

Elgin 56, East View 54	1	2	3	4
Elgin	18	11	13	14
East View	17	11	12	14