CHESTER, Pa. - For the second year in a row, Chris Cook's (Mechanicsville, Va. / Lee-Davis) late game heroics lifted Hood to a win at Widener's Schwartz Athletic Center. This year, the senior guard nailed a 3-point field goal at the buzzer for a 77-76 win over the Pride.
With Hood down two with just over four seconds left, Widener missed a free throw and Cook darted through the Pride defense and nailed a 3-pointer as time expired to lift the Blazers to a 77-76 win.
Hood fans may remember last season, when Cook drilled a 25-footer with 1.7 seconds left for a 92-89 win in the game between the two squads in Chester, Pennsylvania.
This year's win improved Hood to 3-2 in the Commonwealth Conference and 7-7 overall.
Widener led 76-68 with 1:51 remaining, but the Blazers scored the final nine points to claim the victory. Cook scored, was fouled and completed the three-point play with 1:40 to go. On the Pride's next possession, Cook stole the ball and Trevor Magnuski (Mechanicsburg, Pa. / Cumberland Valley) scored his only two points of the day to make it 76-73 with 1:15 on the clock.
A free throw by Corey Martin (Glen Burnie, Md. / North County) brought the Blazers within two with 6.1 seconds left to set the stage for the thrilling finish. Hood nearly came up with a steal, tipping Widener's in-bounds pass, but the ball hit the endline and possession remained with the Pride. The Blazers fouled immediately on the next inbounds play. Neither free throw found the bottom of the net and James Brown (Lancaster, Pa. / Lancaster Country Day) rebounded the ball and sent an outlet to Cook. Cook weaved his way to the top of the key and fired a shot in for the win.
Cook scored a game-high 25 points on 7-of-16 shooting and sank all nine of his free throw attempts. He was 2-of-5 from 3-point range and had five assists and two steals. Martin came off the bench for a career-high 13 points in just 16 minutes of work. The freshman was 4-of-6 from the floor, including 3-of-4 behind the arc. Reggie Daniels (Abingdon, Md. / Patterson Mill) had 12 points and blocked three shots.
Hood shot 50 percent from 3-point reange as a team, sinking a season-high 12 on 24 attempts. Davon Hill (Clinton, Md. / Potomac School) went 3-of-6, while Tanner Ruths (Stephens City, Va. / Sherando) and Malik Harris (Columbia, Md. / Archbishop Spalding) hit their lone 3-point attempts of the afternoon. Harris reached a career-high with seven points.
Overall, the Blazers shot 49 percent from the floor.
Hill and Daniels both hit two threes in the first three and a half minutes of the game as Hood jumped ahead 14-0. Ruths three put the Blazers on top 29-11 with over nine minutes left in the half, but Widener quickly closed the lead. Sam Smith scored all 11 of his points during an 18-point surge to tie the game at 29-29 with 4:21 on the clock.
After Hood led 35-33 at the half, a three by Carlos Taylor gave the Pride their first lead, 39-37 with 19:02 left in the game. With 12:12 to go, Sardayah Sambo gave Widener its biggest lead, 56-41, but the Blazers began to chip away.
Martin sank a 3-pointer with 12 minutes left to cut it to 12. After Hill sank a three, it was Martin from long distance again and it was suddenly a six-point game, 56-50, midway through the second half.
A lay up by Cook pulled the Blazers within a bucket, 59-57, with 5:43 to go, but that was as close as Hood would get until the game's final seconds.
Sambo had a double-double for the Pride with 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting and 10 rebounds. Taylor hit four threes to account for all 12 of his points. Greg Lawson matched Smith with 11 points and eight rebounds. Mark Pryzbylkowski and Kendall Green each scored 10. Lawson and Sambo both blocked three shots.
Widener falls to 9-6 overall and 2-4 in the Commonwealth with the loss.
Hood hosts Stevenson at BB&T Arena on January 14 at 8 p.m.