Joy, pain

Ashville survives two overtimes to get third victory over Alexandria this season, reach Northeast Regional final.

By Joe Medley
East Alabama Sports Today

JACKSONVILLE — Joy for Ashville came in a deafening crowd eruption after Nate Huckbay went coast to coast for his game-winning basket with six-tenths of a second left in double overtime Wednesday.

Pain came in Alexandria junior Cole Wheeler’s barely contained tears and blood-stained nose-bleed stops in both nostrils.

Huckbay’s driving bucket and free throw put third-ranked Ashville up 67-64 with 0.6 seconds left, and the Bulldogs withstood center Parker Smith fouling out in the fourth quarter to advance to Monday’s 5:45 p.m. regional final.

The Bulldogs (29-3) will play the Madison Academy-Plainview winner.

Alexandria, which came progressively closer to winning in each of its three losses to Ashville this season, finished 21-8.

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