Broken light forces Winston-Salem game at Johnson C. Smith to end in a tie, 76-76
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In two decades as an assistant coach, after playing basketball for Johnson C. Smith, Mark Sherill has seen a lot.
But Wednesday night was a first.
The game between Johnson C. Smith and visiting Winston-Salem State ended in a draw.
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A tip-in by Javan Wells of the Rams tied the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Division II game at 76 with 0.3 seconds left when Joshua Linson tried a full-court shot. The ball hit off of two lights, knocking them out, according to John Dell of the Winston-Salem Journal — with one light left hanging.
After trying to fix the situation, head coach Stephen Joyner Sr., also the Johnson C. Smith director of athletics, had a conference with the game officials to reassess the situation and it was deemed a safety concern.
"We didn't know how long the chains would last," Sherill said. "The Winston-Salem coach (Bobby Collins) agreed it didn't look safe. I've been in basketball a long time; this is the first time I've ever had a draw."
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He said the schools and CIAA officials would determine if the game would be finished at a later date. The schools are 78 miles apart.
"It was a great call and the right call for safety," Sherill said. "If it would have come down on one of the student-athletes (in overtime), you would have been calling us for something else."
Marquez Jones scored 21 points, Preston Ross 20 and Wykevin Bazemore 16 for the Rams.
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Linson had 25 for Johnson C. Smith with Emilio Parks adding 18 and Antwan Wilkerson 13 with 10 rebounds.