Senior guard A.J. Neal made three clutch 3-point shots down the stretch and West Oaks beat nationally-ranked Combine Academy of North Carolina 69-65 on Tuesday afternoon to win the Winter Jam bracket championship at the 40th annual Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
The Flame (9-3) had a double-digit advantage after Justin Neely dunked for a 36-26 lead with 6:46 to go in the third quarter. That melted away and Combine (15-2) took its first lead on a dunk with 6:01 to go in the game.
Neal hit a 3-point try off transition and West Oaks never again trailed.