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Last-second bomb blasts Bison state tourney hopes
KEARNEY -- A classic basketball battle, like many other past contests, came down to a last-second shot at the Kearney High School gym Tuesday night.
Unfortunately for the McCook High School boys, that shot went in.
With a defender in his face, Adams Central senior Zach Hunt hit a long 3-point shot for the winning points in a 54-51 decision over the Bison in the Class B-5 District finals. The victory gave the Patriots a berth in the Class B boys state tournament in Lincoln March 11-13, and the loss means the end of the season for McCook, the two-time defending district champs.
When Hunt's shot ripped the net, the Adams Central players and many fans stormed the court to begin their district championship celebration as the clock showed no time remaining.
"I couldn't believe it," said McCook senior Tye Smith on his reaction to Hunt's shot.
Game officials conferred as Adams Central celebrated. The officials determined that McCook called timeout immediately after the shot went in, and 1.2 seconds were put back on the clock.
Bison senior Mark Nichols received the 3/4-court inbounds pass in front of the McCook bench, and Nichols got off a long attempt that sailed just over the rim as the final buzzer sounded.
"I would have loved to have seen an overtime," said McCook head coach Tim Garcia, in a post-game interview. "We got a decent shot at the end. Mark got the ball and he was able to face up and get a shot. If that bucket would have fallen, the shoe would be on the other foot right now and it would be totally different. But that's just basketball. You learn from that, you grow from it, that builds character. We have great kids with great character already, but it's just going to build their character and make them better people."
Garcia used a simple phrase to describe Hunt's shot -- great players make great plays.
"It's not like it was an uncontested three," Garcia said. "I think our guys played great defense. He's probably one of the toughest guards in the state. You get too close to him, he goes around you. You get too far from him, he's going to hit the three. You let him penetrate, he's either going to take it to the rack or dish. I thought we did a great job defending him tonight. He only had nine points and none bigger than those final three."
Ironically, Hunt scored all six points for Adams Central in the final quarter when McCook battled back from a four-point lead to tie the score and set up Hunt's heroics. Hunt also helped set up McCook's game-tying score in the final minute.
Hunt's drive and layup gave the Patriots a 51-48 lead with 2:10 remaining. Connor Larson made one of two free throws for the Bison at the 1:54 mark to get the Bison within 51-49. Adams Central went to a spread, running time off the clock. Hunt found an opening and drove to the basket, then tried to pass the ball to a teammate across the lane. But Larson alertly picked off the pass.
The Bison junior drove downcourt and headed for the hoop, then Larson fired a pass to senior Dustin Parde, who connected on the close-range shot to knot the score at 51-51 with 37 seconds left. Adams Central then held the ball and ran the clock down to less than seven seconds before Hunt made a move and launched what proved to be the winning shot.
Bison rally in second half
McCook trailed by as many as seven points in the second quarter. Adams Central misfired on a shot just before halftime. The Bison rebounded, and Larson broke free for a layup before time expired to pull McCook within 37-32 at the break.
Calvin Ott, leading scorer for Adams Central with 12 points, hit a basket to start the third quarter to put the Patriots back ahead by seven points. McCook answered with an 8-3 run to get within 42-40. Larson scored six points in the spurt, including a 3-pointer to narrow the gap to two points. The Patriots led 48-44 after three quarters.
Adams Central did not score again until Hunt made one of two free throws with 3:25 left in the final period. Meanwhile, Nichols hit a shot from the lane and Nate Crick scored on a basket after driving the baseline past the Adams Central defense to tie the score at 48-48 before Hunt's free throw.
Parde, McCook's 6-6 senior center, blocked two shots in the final quarter to help the Bison shut down Adams Central and help McCook keep the game close.
"I was just playing as hard as I could," Parde said. "It could have been our last game of the year, and it was, so..."
Parde and Tye Smith each scored 10 points, and Mark Nichols topped the Bison with 15 points. Smith said the Bison remained calm in the final quarter and battled back after Adams Central built the seven-point leads earlier in the contest.
"We just kept our composure and kept going as hard as we could, and attacked the basket and played good 'D' -- that kept us in the game until the very end," he said. "You can't ask for much more.
"(Adams Central) started slowing it down, so we had to turn it up (defense) even more. It worked out -- we got some turnovers and scored off them, that kept us in it."
Coach Garcia agreed that the Bison defense was a key to keeping his team in the game until the very end.
"That's what we told the kids, 'Just keep your poise, remain calm and just keep doing what you're doing.' Our defense really kept us in this game," he said. "Our kids did a great job of battling back They held their poise, all the way back to where we tied the ball game up with less than a minute to go.
"Then they come out, and what do you say? A great player hits a great shot, and Zach Hunt is one of the best perimeter players in the state of Nebraska in Class B, possibly all classes. I thought our kids did a wonderful job guarding him.
"I thought our kids did a wonderful job executing our game plan tonight. I couldn't be more proud of the way our kids came here and represented our program, our school and our community at this B-5 District Championship."
Adams Central heads to the state tournament with a 20-3 record. McCook ends the season with a 14-11 record.
To foul or not?
As Hunt dribbled and the final seconds ticked away, the McCook coach said he thought about having his team foul and put Adams Central on the line. Garcia figured that the Patriots would likely make both charity shots and the pressure would be on his team to make the winning shot.
"It went through mind to foul," Garcia said. "But it also just went through my mind to just let the game play out. I thought we were playing great basketball. I was hoping it was going to be a one-and-done (missed shot, McCook rebound) and we would be hitting an overtime.
"Again, great players make great shots. Hats off to Adams Central. Coach Tom Slechta, he's a good friend of mine. They did what they had to do to win this game tonight."
Lucky shot?
Parde had a final thought on the game's outcome.
"I think we played probably the best we've played all season," Dustin said. "They just came away with that lucky shot at the end. That happens, so...
"I turned around to box out and (Hunt's shot) went in, and I thought the game was over. We had that other chance (final shot), and we didn't get it."