A furious Unaka rally came up heartbreakingly short on Saturday night.
The Rangers nearly erased a double-digit deficit as they dropped a 55-52 decision at Cosby in the Region 1-A Quarterfinals. With the loss, Unaka’s season comes to a close.
The Rangers set the tone early.
Landon Ramsey and Marcus Shomaker combined for a 14-3 Unaka run to open the game, while Shomaker and Joe-Z Blamo added baskets to push the lead to 18-4.
Cosby ended the quarter on a 4-0 run but Unaka held an 18-8 lead after the first quarter.
Mason Wilson and Ramsey countered Cosby shots as the Eagles pulled within six points two minutes into the frame.
The Rangers, however, were able to trade shots and maintain a 29-22 halftime lead.
Cosby took advantage of a quick start in the third quarter. The Eagles opened the half on a 20-4 run over the first six minutes of the third quarter.
That allowed Cosby to push the lead to 44-36 after three complete quarters.
Ramsey opened the final stanza with quick points, but Cosby was able to counter the buckets.
After Cosby pushed the lead to 55-43 with 3:02 to play, Unaka battled back in a big way.
Shomaker and Ramsey scored quick baskets to trim the lead into single digits, while Ramsey added a free throw to further close the gap.
After Blamo hit a pair of free throws, Wilson sank a jumper with 1:23 to play to pull the Rangers with three points.
In the final minute, Unaka was unable to capitalize on possessions to continue to finish the rally.
Ramsey finished with 20 points to lead the way for Unaka, while Blamo had 15 points. Shomaker scored 11 points for the Rangers.
Wilson scored five points.
