West Greene and Chuckey Doak squared off in a classic Greene County battle Thursday night inside Jimmy Jones Gymnasium, and it appeared the Buffaloes were on their way to a fifth straight win over the Black Knights. Ryland Grindstaff, however, had other plans.
Grindstaff drilled a jumper to force overtime, then followed it with the game-winning basket with nine seconds remaining in the extra period to lift the visiting Knights from Afton to a thrilling 69–68 victory.
“That one is hard to talk about, but you couldn’t ask for a better game tonight,” said an elated Chuckey Doak head coach Sam Broyles. “These boys didn’t quit after being down by 12 in the third quarter against a very good West Greene team.”
Chuckey Doak got off to a fast start behind Dom Atchison, who scored nine of his 12 points in the opening period as the Knights held a slim 15–13 lead after one.
West Greene turned up the pressure in the second quarter, outscoring Chuckey Doak 21–14, capped by a three-quarter-court buzzer-beater to take a 34–29 lead into the locker room. Parker Arnott, playing in his first game as a Buffalo after transferring from Cherokee, scored 11 points in the quarter to lead the charge. Ayden Lamons added six, while Tytus Shelton chipped in four.
Luke Heck and Josiah Dawson each scored seven points as West Greene looked to pull away in the third quarter, extending the lead to 44–32 with 4:58 remaining. Momentum shifted when Lamons was forced to the bench with his third foul, allowing the Black Knights to mount a comeback. Chuckey Doak closed the quarter on a 15–8 run to cut the deficit to 52–47. Grindstaff sparked the rally with 17 of his team’s 18 points in the period and finished the night with a game-high 36.
The teams traded baskets throughout the fourth quarter. With 35 seconds remaining, West Greene held a 62–57 lead and possession. Gavin Crum then came up with a key steal, kicked the ball out to Grindstaff, and watched him bury a three-pointer with 14 seconds left, forcing a Chuckey Doak timeout.
West Greene was unable to get the ball inbounds within five seconds, and Grindstaff capped his 13-point quarter with a jumper in the paint to tie the game at 62–62 with nine seconds left in regulation.
“We knew we had a good look with the ball out of bounds under our own basket,” Grindstaff said. “Coach made a good call. We all got to our spots, and I knocked it down.”
The Buffaloes advanced the ball and called a timeout with 2.2 seconds remaining, but Dawson’s corner attempt at the buzzer fell short, sending the game to overtime.
In the extra period, West Greene got baskets from Heck and Lamons, while Chuckey Doak answered with scores from Grindstaff and Crum. The game remained tied at 66–66 when the Knights called a timeout with 2:17 remaining.
Both teams played for the final shot down the stretch. Atchison was sent to the line with 47 seconds left and converted one of two free throws. Lamons then answered with a layup to give West Greene a 68–67 lead with 25 seconds remaining.
Grindstaff struck again, scoring with nine seconds left to reclaim the lead for Chuckey Doak at 69–68.
The drama continued as Heck was fouled driving to the basket with 2.2 seconds on the clock. Both free throws missed the mark, allowing Chuckey Doak to escape with the victory and snap a four-game losing streak against West Greene.
West Greene placed five players in double figures, led by Heck with 15 points. Dawson and Lamons each scored 14, Arnott finished with 13, and Shelton added 12.
Both Broyles and Grindstaff said the win could provide a confidence boost as the Knights prepare to face Happy Valley and Johnson County next week. West Greene will look to rebound as it travels to South Greene and Unicoi County.
