CUMBERLAND – The Cumberland High School boys basketball team withstood a late rally by Bluestone to held on for a 62-60 home victory over the Barons on Tuesday night at the CHS Gymnasium.<br />
“That's one that will give you some gray hairs,” said CHS head coach Tyrone Mosby. “We didn't make good decisions in pressure situations down the stretch, but we'll take it. We'll definitely have to improve on our late-game situations going forward.”

Cumberland led 15-10 on a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Dione Booker, whose quarterback pass swished through the net.

The Dukes also got two points when a loose ball bounced off the head of Bo Winbush and into the bucket in the second quarter.

“We didn't draw them up that way, but they count the same, and we needed them at the end,” said Mosby.

The “heads-up shot” off Winbush was part of a 12-0 run midway through the second quarter that gave CHS a 29-16 lead with 1:26 left in the half.

Bluestone, responded to end the period on an 8-0 run to pull to within five points at 29-24 at the break.

The Barons scored the first seven points of the second half to extend the run to 15-0 and take a 31-29 lead at the 5:13 mark in the third quarter.

Bluestone's lead was short lived. Cumberland center Harry Bailey gave the Dukes the advantage for good on a three-point play with 4:30 remaining.

Bailey's score sparked a 12-2 run that included seven points from the senior.

“Harry has really stepped up for us recently, and is a big reason we've been playing better,” said Mosby. “He's had a triple-double, a 23 and 21 point game with 18 and 19 rebounds and 17 points tonight. He's really taking on that role you like to see a senior take. He's been staying late after practice to get in some extra time, and it's showing up in his numbers.”

Bluestone closed its deficit back to four points at 41-37 with 1:18 remaining in the period, before the Dukes closed the period on a 7-0 run. A DeAundre Brooks three-pointer with 2.5 seconds left in the quarter gave Cumberland a 48-37 lead.

Cumberland led 52-39 on a stick-back by Bailey with 3:56 left to play, but Bluestone started to chip away at the CHS lead. A layup by Darius Baskerville capped an 8-0 run by Bluestone at the 2:42 mark that closed the Barons to within five points at 52-47, before CHS ran back out to a nine point lead on a Brooks layup with 1:53 left to play.

Booker hit the front end of a one-and-one to put Cumberland back up by nine points at 60-51 with 40.6 left, but Bluestone closed the game with an 11-2 run.

A three-pointer by Baskerville at the buzzer closed the game to just two points, but even so, it was a close call for the Dukes.

“We've got to do a better job of taking care of the ball,” said Mosby, acknowledging that it was a game they may have lost earlier in the season. “It's a process, and we're getting better, but we have a long way to go.”

Bailey led the Dukes with 17 points on the evening, while Brooks added 15. Dietrich Brown added 12 and Booker added 10.

Bluestone was led in scoring by Aaron Watson, who had 20 points, while Damien Winbush had 16 and Chris Watson scored eight.

“We've shown ourselves that we have the talent to play with the top teams in the district, but some nights we don't bring it. You can't turn the light on and off whenever you want. You've got to keep the light on during the game, in practice and everywhere. I think they're starting to realize that if we can do those things, we are capable of coming out of the game on top.”

Cumberland was scheduled to travel to Central of Lunenburg on Friday, weather permitting.