Big-time players make big-time plays, and Cruz Coggins did just that Friday night at Jimmy Jones Gymnasium. With the score tied, Coggins came off a screen and buried a 3-pointer as the horn sounded, silencing the West Greene faithful and lifting Cosby to a thrilling 58–55 victory.
“That kid hit a big shot at the end. He put it up as the buzzer sounded, and it was nothing but net,” said Buffaloe coach Allen Tolliver. “After a long Christmas break, that’s not the way you want it to end. We knew he could shoot the ball well, and I should have called a timeout. That one’s on me.”
Cosby took the opening tip and got off to a quick start, knocking down a three-pointer for an early 3–0 lead. After baskets from Josiah Dawson and Ayden Lamons, sandwiched between two Eagle buckets, West Greene trailed 8–4 with 6:08 remaining in the first quarter and called a timeout.
Dawson, who finished with 16 points, responded by scoring four straight to tie the game at 8–8. Unfortunately for the home-standing Buffaloes, Cosby followed with a 10–0 run to stretch the lead to 18–8 late in the opening period.
“I thought before Christmas we had the slow starts figured out,” Tolliver said. “But you take that long eight- or nine-day break with no games, and that’s tough.”
West Greene closed the quarter with a 7–2 run, fueled by back-to-back baskets from Tytus Shelton and a three-pointer from Dawson, trimming the deficit to 21–15.
Shelton opened the second quarter with two quick buckets, Lamons added another, and Luke Heck drained a three-pointer to give West Greene its first lead at 24–23 with 5:22 left in the half, forcing Cosby to call a timeout.
Out of the break, the Eagles used two free throws and a basket to reclaim a 27–24 lead. Shelton answered with a layup, and Elijah Williams knocked down two free throws to put the Buffaloes back in front 28–27 with 4:03 remaining. Neither team could find much rhythm late in the quarter, and Cosby carried a slim 28–27 advantage into the locker room.
West Greene leaned on its inside game in the third quarter, opening with an 8–0 run before Cosby scored. Lamons poured in eight of his 14 points in the period, while also dishing assists to Williams, Heck, and Dawson.
Tolliver praised his young team’s resilience. “This group doesn’t have a lot of quit in them,” he said. “They take the chewings, respond, and battle back.”
Cosby opened the fourth quarter with a 45–43 lead, which Dawson quickly tied with a layup at the 5:36 mark. After a Coggins three and a Cosby timeout with 4:31 remaining, the Eagles slowed the tempo and worked the ball around the perimeter. Following two missed high-percentage looks, Coggins drained another three to push the lead to 51–45.
Williams answered with a three-pointer to make it 51–48 with 2:16 left. An Eagle layup and a Dawson jumper cut the score to 53–50. Forced to foul, West Greene sent Cosby to the line, where the Eagles converted two free throws for a 55–50 lead with one minute remaining.
Shelton knocked down two free throws to pull West Greene within 55–52 with 49 seconds to play. After a defensive stop, West Greene fouled again with 38 seconds remaining. Coggins, who finished with a game-high 28 points, missed both free throws, giving the Buffaloes new life.
Williams capitalized, drilling a deep three from the right wing to tie the game at 55–55 with 10 seconds remaining. Cosby called a timeout with 3.2 seconds left to set up the final play, and Coggins delivered once more with the game-winning three.
Cosby shot 23-for-49 from the field (47 percent) and placed two players in double figures, led by Coggins and Cooper Davis with 11 points. West Greene also shot 47 percent (22-for-47) and had four players score in double figures: Dawson, Lamons, Williams, and Shelton.
West Greene will travel to Jonesboro on Saturday to face David Crockett before opening conference play next week.
