It came from downtown.
Kyle Moore let a 3-pointer fly from just beyond the key. As it whispered through the net, a packed gymnasium at Blue Ridge High School erupted – the home stands as well as the visitors side.
Greer fans had tried to remain silent until their Yellow Jackets had scored 11 points – a hushed memorial for Nathan Moore, Greer’s senior point guard who wore the No. 11. He died Tuesday after reportedly feeling ill for a couple of days, and younger brother Kyle took his spot in the Yellow Jackets’ starting lineup Thursday against Blue Ridge, scoring the game’s first point and then hitting the 3-pointer that allowed Greer fans to voice their approval at full volume.
“It means the world to me to see all the people whose lives Nathan touched,” Kyle said. “I know we lost, but it still means the world to me. It’s not about losing this game. I’m glad everybody’s here to celebrate his life.”
Blue Ridge pulled away in the game’s final three minutes for a 71-62 victory, but the score was secondary to the game.
Greer head coach Greg Miller left the decision to play the game Thursday in Kyle’s hands.
“I wasn’t sure about it, but I thought about what (Nathan) would want, and he’d definitely want me to play,” said Kyle, whose game – a combination of flash and fury – very much resembles his brother’s. “So, I was going to do it for him – for his honor.”
Blue Ridge fans, students and staff helped pay tribute to Moore with posters decorating the gym walls and were mostly quiet – like their Greer counterparts – for most of an eerie first quarter which was dominated by the sounds of the ball bouncing against hardwood and the squeak of sneakers on the court.
“I heard the news, and I emailed Coach Miller right there and prayed it wasn’t true,” Blue Ridge head coach Ray Riley said. “I told him we’d do anything he wanted to do – postpone the game, cancel the game. It didn’t make any difference to me.”
The Tigers practiced on Wednesday as if the game would be played, Riley said.
But he also realized that some of his players had close ties to the Moore brothers. Vontae Jenkins was Nathan’s AAU teammate. And the proximity of the two schools to one another lends itself to friendships as well as athletic rivalries.
“They know each other – that was tough,” Riley said with a shrug. “I thought we played some good defense, but our thoughts are with the Greer family, and that’s about it.”
While Riley said his team was able to focus despite the emotional nature of the game, Greer senior Jake Arrowood said he and his teammates had to clear an emotional hurdle to play Thursday night.
“It’s definitely one of the most powerful things we’ve ever had to do,” Arrowood said. “Mourning the loss of Nathan is hard enough, but coming out and trying to play a game and represent for him – we want to do everything for him; we want to play the way he played. He put his heart on his sleeve, so we try to put our hearts on our sleeve for him.”
