In the first meeting, Kelton’s 3-point basket with 17 seconds left propelled the Bumblebees to a 38-36 victory.
On Friday night, he buried a 3 with 1:38 left to give Academy the lead for good, then hit four clutch free throws to complement Chase Reeders’ game-high 25 points as the Class 2A No. 13-ranked Bumbleebees edged the No. 12 Cougars 52-48 in a District 25-2A boys basketball duel.
Academy (23-5 overall, 10-1 district) gained sole possession of first place with one game remaining and likely ended Jarrell’s bid to claim a fourth straight district title.
“(I feel) 100 percent (confident),” Kelton said about taking the pressure shots. “I feel 100 percent confident in my teammates, too, that they’re going to make the free throws.”
He added: “It’s pretty intense. The crowd is so loud. You can barely hear the coach calling the plays. But we kept our cool.”
Added Reeders, who made nine of 11 shots from the field: “I’ve never been a part of anything like this before. It’s a good feeling.”
Academy can clinch the outright 25-2A title with a win at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday against Lexington or with a win by the Cougars (21-9, 9-2) on Tuesday at Salado (22-9, 9-2), which beat Florence 62-51.
“(I feel) euphoria,” said first-year Bees coach Ed Glendening, who praised the work of assistant coach Tim Butler for directing the offense during the victory. “I’m pretty emotional. We just have good kids.”
Jarrell, which led briefly in the first quarter, rallied from an early 14-point deficit to take a 35-34 lead at the end of the third quarter on Daniel Tucker’s 3.
The Cougars didn’t relinquish the lead until Reeders, who dominated in the post for much of the game, hit a pair of free throws with 1:55 left to start a 7-0 run.
Connor McAtee made a steal and Kelton hit the 3 from the left corner for a 45-43 lead.
“They (Jarrell) made a good adjustment at the end of taking away the backside wing from getting that high-low that we were getting early,” said Glendening, whose team led 20-6 and controlled the paint, grabbing 18 of the first 24 rebounds. “Our kids read it and that’s how Kelton got the 3.”
After Colby Andrews missed the front end of a 1-and-1 free throw situation, Reeders, who recorded a steal on the previous possession, grabbed the offensive rebound and scored for a 47-43 lead with a minute to go.
Jarrell’s Kreece Cooper drilled a long 3 to trim the lead to 47-46 before Kelton’s free throws pushed the lead back to three.
With less than 20 seconds remaining, Academy, which had committed just three fouls, tried to intentionally foul to waste time. Cooper recognized the situation and got off a 3-point attempt while being fouled. He made two of the three attempts to pull the Cougars within 49-48.
Kelton missed the first free throw but Jarrell was whistled for a violation, giving him a second opportunity. He took advantage by making both and then grabbed the rebound after Taylor Cooper’s game-tying 3-point attempt missed. Reeders added the final free throw to seal the win.
“The good news is we’re still in the playoffs,” said Cougars coach Drew Sumner, whose team faces Salado at 7:30 Tuesday, most likely for second place. “It’s frustrating. Our kids our frustrated, but they (Academy) deserved to win."
While Kelton’s heroics pushed the Bees over the top, Reeders’ play led Academy to a quick 22-8 start. After the Bees missed eight straight shots and Jarrell pulled within 22-19, Reeders scored the final three points to halt the momentum heading into half.
“They kept switching on me on defense,” he said. “I just whipped around and got a pin and scored.”
Added Sumner: “I think they came out and changed up their offense a little bit on us and had us confused. We weren’t ready. Our kids figured it out and adjusted to them, but they made the shots they needed to make.”
And those late-game shots have Academy one step from a district title and a first-round bye in the playoffs.
“It feels great,” Kelton said. “But we’ve still got one more game left, so we’re not taking it lightly.”
cmeister@temple-telegram.com
