BROOKSVILLE – When Nature Coast’s football team made its run to the regional final in the fall, Jamison Carnegie could only watch from the sidelines. The senior who began the season as the starting quarterback didn’t play in the Sharks’ final two postseason games due to an injured hand that lingered into the beginning of the basketball campaign.
In Thursday’s Class 5A, Region II boys basketball quarterfinal, Carnegie finally had another opportunity to shine in a playoff setting – and he came through. The Nature Coast point guard sank four key free throws in overtime, the final two putting the Sharks ahead to stay in a 53-50 victory over visiting Wesley Chapel. “I think he thrives on these types of games,” Nature Coast head coach Dave Pisarcik said. “When he got to the free throw line, he wasn’t my first choice. Earlier in the game he didn’t come close to making a free throw, and these things (in OT) didn’t hit nothing but net. They didn’t even hit the rim. That’s the type of gamer Jamison is. He did a good job at the end.”
Statistically speaking, Carnegie didn’t have a huge night, yet contributed in multiple ways. He scored seven points to go along with five rebounds and five steals. He missed his first two shots from the charity stripe before converting the last five. Early in the extra period he hit on two free throws. Then with 17.7 seconds left and the game tied at 50, Carnegie was shockingly fouled while dribbling down the baseline. With the Wildcats already in the double bonus, he went to the line for two shots. Carnegie sank the first, then after a Wesley Chapel timeout hit on the second.
“Earlier in the game I missed free throws, so I knew they’d want to grab someone that wasn’t hitting their shots so they could stay in the game,” Carnegie said. “I was focused and if it came down to it I knew I’d be able to hit shots.
“Being a senior, I don’t want to let my team down. I knew my coach trusted me and my teammates trusted me, and I knew coming down to it if the shot had to go up I had to do it. I’ve been on the varsity team for three years and I didn’t want to go out on a bad note.”
It had been a nail-biter throughout, with a wild finish to regulation. The Sharks (22-6) held a 46-44 advantage in the final seconds, yet couldn’t prevent the Wildcats (21-8) from multiple chances to tie the game on their last possession. Finally, with 2.2 seconds remaining, Theo Williams tipped in an offensive rebound, forcing overtime. After Carnegie gave Nature Coast the lead in OT, Wesley Chapel turned the ball over when a player stepped out of bounds while dribbling baseline with 5.7 seconds to go. A made free throw by Robert McAfee with 2.4 ticks on the clock was followed by a failed desperation half-court heave by the Wildcats, ending the game.
“We’ve been in that situation before, so when it came up we were all just like, ‘Hey, let’s stick together.’ Between Kaine (McColley), (Nick) Crima; me and Crima being the seniors, we brought the team together and we were like, ‘Let’s do it.’ And our coaches stayed on us,” Carnegie said. “We go over it in practice. We’ve been there before, so we weren’t worried.
“After my injury, I didn’t know how it was going to go. I came back, Coach trusted me and put me back in the starting lineup. It’s big not just for me, but for Kaine and (Anthony) Valante that transferred in, who haven’t been here before. I was here sophomore year (when the team went to the Elite Eight), and last year, my junior year, we didn’t go far. We lost in the first round. I didn’t want to do it again.”
The Sharks also got a tremendous performance out of McColley, hitting four 3-pointers en route to a 24-point night, adding to five rebounds and three steals. Crima chipped in 11 points. Williams had 17 points and nine rebounds for Wesley Chapel, while Reggie Jennings tallied 14 points and 11 boards. Next up on Tuesday 2/16/16, Nature Coast will host Zephyrhills in a semifinal at 7 p.m.
“Being able to play in this playoff (after the football injury), it means a lot more to me because it’s my senior year,” Carnegie said. “This is something you’re going to remember down the road, it doesn’t matter what we do. We won a district championship in football, we won a district championship in basketball. It means a lot to me just to continue to play and make sure our team goes far.
“Focus, focus, focus, focus, and get ready for Zephyrhills. They’re a heck of a basketball team and we know we’ve got a handful coming next week. We’ll prepare tomorrow and Monday and see what we can do from there.”
Follow Chris Bernhardt Jr. on Twitter @cpbernhardtjr.