The junior guard for Fayetteville Britt netted a 3-pointer with less than one minute to play that essentially closed Middle Creek’s 2007-08 boys’ basketball campaign in the NCHSAA 4-A East Regional semifinal March 5 at East Carolina’s Minges Coliseum.

The Buccaneers’ 54-50 win cemented Middle Creek’s 27-3 record, and moved Britt into Saturday’s regional final against Apex, which Apex won 45-44.

“It was a well played game,” Mustangs coach David Kushner said. “That’s all you can ask for at this point.”

Middle Creek took a 50-49 lead with 2:38 to play when Garrius Adams netted his fourth 3-pointer among a game-high 21 points. Adams, however, was stymied down the stretch after he picked up his fourth foul with 42.1 seconds left in the third period.

Adams returned at the final stanza’s 5:21 mark and was substituted for liberally the rest of the way as Kushner sought to preserve the 6-foot-5 junior for offense.

The Mustangs’ defense, though, yielded just four points between Adams’ fourth foul and his initial return.

“They were a lot quicker than what they appeared to be from a distance,” Britt coach Ike Walker Jr. said. “We’re just fortunate to beat a good team that was very well coached, and we’re happy to move on.”

Middle Creek, which led 14-9 after the first period, fell behind by as many as nine (40-31) when the Buccaneers opened the third quarter with an 11-3 run, including five points from Kevin Bobson (13 points).

Adams responded with five straight points to cut the lead to four with 3:06 left in the quarter.

Nichols’ (11 points) final trifecta was set up when Jack Britt was awarded possession after two opposing players fell out of bounds — in front of Kushner — while competing for the basketball at the one-minute mark.

“I couldn’t even tell you for sure who it went out on,” Kushner said.

The Mustangs’ subsequent possession was snuffed out when C. J. Williams (21 points) forced Adams into a turnover before slamming home the game’s final basket.