You’re exactly right. How can we just ignore the fact that Will Schaefer’s heave from on the other side of Ross High School’s gymnasium bounced at the other free throw line and went in Friday night?
I know. It was crazy. I was there. The ball caromed off the floor directly in front me as I stood behind the basket it dropped through.
This sends us into next week’s slate of high school basketball action — and concludes one of the wildest stretches of prep hoops games I’ve ever covered in over 20 years of doing this.
We’ll circle back to Schaefer’s shot in a moment. Let’s rewind.
Tuesday night provided not one, not two, but three last-second, game-winning shots involving Butler County boys basketball programs.
The crazy thing? They all happened within a half hour of each other.
First, Fairfield’s Kameron Sanders — now known as Klutch Kam — took an inbounds pass as time was ticking down with the Indians trailing 56-55 to Middletown.
The junior guard rode the left sideline and eluded what likely was a foul attempt by the Middies. Sanders crossed Fairfield Arena’s midcourt line and let loose a prayer with just seconds left.
It banked in, sending the Fairfield faithful into a frenzy and the Indians to a 58-56 victory. Sanders had ice in his veins.
Minutes later in Liberty Township, Bayze Wieland gave Lakota East’s home crowd something to celebrate. The senior took a pass, had enough separation between him and his Mason defender and fired up a 3-pointer from behind the left side of the arc with under 5 seconds left to play.
Nothing but net. The Thunderhawks beat the Comets 47-44, and Wieland, too, had ice in his veins.
Then to cap off the night, Edgewood’s Connor Ballantyne wanted in on the action.
The senior guard also created enough space to be able to put up a shot over the outstretched arms of a Ross defender. He nailed it with 4.6 seconds left to give the Cougars a 56-53 lead and the eventual win.
Ballantyne, also, had ice in his veins.
Now what could top that off? Ross and Franklin’s instant Friday night classic.
What was already anticipated to be a gauntlet judging by the last time the two teams met earlier in the season at Franklin, the vibe from the opening tip swayed that way again immediately.
On paper, neither team led by more than four points. And it was a given that Schaefer and Franklin’s Kai Cook were gearing up to take over at all costs.
Schaefer and Cook connected on a handful of clutch buckets, which ultimately sent the game into two overtime periods. Cook ended up fouling out, opening an opportunity for Franklin’s Carter Black to take a last-second shot in the second OT.
Black’s spin move on Schaefer inside the paint allowed him to put up a decent enough shot that found the bottom of the net with a couple seconds left. Franklin took the lead 49-48.
With tenths of a second remaining, Ross hurried to get an inbounds pass into Schaefer who then sent a full-court shot the other way. But just as he let it go, the buzzer sounded.
The ball didn’t make it all the way, bounced at the other free throw line and went in. While Franklin players were celebrating, many in the stands gasped. You could hear them.
But Schaefer’s shot didn’t count, ending one of the wildest weeks of local high school basketball ever.
So, what are the odds of a game ending in the last few seconds on the final shot? I don’t know. But it’s rare.
If the postseason turns out to be half as exciting as this past week, then we’ll all be in for a treat. Let’s just be prepared to calm the nerves and simply not ignore what is deemed the impossible.
Because March Madness is coming.
