Huntingdon men eliminate Ferrum in USA South semifinals

MARYVILLE, Tenn. – Ferrum College led for the majority of the game on Friday, but the Huntingdon men's basketball team took control late and won 75-68 in the semifinals of the USA South Athletic Conference Tournament.

A Jerome Davis 3-pointer gave Huntingdon a 71-68 lead with 2:41 to play. The Hawks would not trail again as they scored the final seven points of the game. Davis scored five of the final seven points and Jason Varney sank two free throws with 19 seconds left to close the scoring.

The Hawks (12-14) will play LaGrange (17-10) for the conference championship on Saturday at 1 p.m. Central. LaGrange eliminated Greensboro 116-102 in the semifinals.

This will be the third meeting between the Hawks and LaGrange this season. Huntingdon won 97-86 on Jan. 30 and 92-87 on Feb. 23. The winner on Saturday advances to the NCAA Tournament.

"This wasn't our best performance, but we're continuing to find ways to win," Huntingdon head coach Mike Pugh said. "The past two games, we haven't played our best, but we've hung around and given ourselves a chance. Today, we just kept battling, made some key shots and made some key stops at the end.

"Facing LaGrange for a third time, both teams know what to expect. We need to come out and be ready to play from the start."

Five Hawks scored in double figures on Friday. Davis led Huntingdon with 19 points and Varney added 14 points. Austin Hill finished with 13 points and six rebounds, Terry Moorer had 12 points, three steals and two blocks and Byron Dudley had 11 points, four assists and three steals.