Myers Park boys rally for overtime victory in John Wall Holiday Invitational final
It might not have been the way they drew it up, but the Myers Park Mustangs are leaving the John Wall Holiday Invitational as champions.
Despite falling behind by as many as 12 points — and star point guard Bishop Boswell sustaining an ankle injury, from which he returned in the third quarter — the Charlotte-based school upended an aggressive Christ School squad in a 50-45 overtime victory Saturday night.
“Just growing up and knowing how prestigious the tournament is,” Sadiq White, who was named the Day’Ron Sharpe bracket’s most valuable player, said postgame before pausing. “Man, It just means a lot.”
White poured in 19 points for the Mustangs (9-2), who fell behind early after scoring just eight points in the first quarter.
They kept the game close but didn’t come within one score again until the second half. And it didn’t get any easier when Boswell went down.
The University of Tennessee commit injured his ankle in the backcourt during the second quarter. He couldn’t walk on two feet as he hobbled off the court in visible pain, letting out an, “Ah!,” that could be heard throughout the gym before crumbling to the hardwood as he reached the bench.
The Mustangs kept the game close enough despite the absence of Boswell, who reached 1,000 career points this weekend. During the third quarter, Sir Mohammed drove for impressive and-one and made it a 3-point game.
“I was just trying to play my part, because I need to be doing stuff like that more often,” Mohammed said. “We all have that mentality, we’re all about to go out there and give everything we got to get this win.”
Boswell returned in the third quarter, and his impact was undeniable.
He was moving a bit slower and playing off the ball more, but his presence did spark the Mustangs’ comeback. The point guard made several effective passes that set up baskets as Myers Park took its first lead of the night during the fourth quarter.
The Greenies had a chance to win tied at 39 with 7.9 seconds left — and threw the ball out of play when in-bounding. Mohammed tried a 3-pointer that was off the mark at the buzzer, forcing overtime.
White dunked three times during the extra period, and that was enough to lift the Mustangs over the top — and to their first John Wall title in school history.
“That was a championship game!” Myers Park head coach Scott Taylor said as he began his postgame remarks inside a Broughton High classroom. “Weird stuff happens in championship games, because you gotta earn them, you gotta figure them out. It takes everybody on the roster.”
