Edwards, Addison Trail beat the buzzer, Fenton
Tuesday night’s Addison Trail at Fenton boys basketball game will always be remembered for “The Shot.”
With just 1.9 seconds left, the Blazers’ LaShawnn Edwards served up the ball from three-fourths of a court away to cap Addison Trail’s second-half comeback for a 57-54 nonconference victory and a permanent topic of conversation at future class reunions.
“Coach (Brendan Lyons) said if I get it, to shoot it,” Edwards, who finished with nine points, said.
The winning basket came just 11 seconds after teammate Simon Jakubczak tied the game at 54 while the Blazers were on an 8-3 run.
As fans were leaving Fenton, some huddled around those who had captured the final moments on video with their cellphones.
Addison Trail (7-10) was down 28-14 at intermission. But its offense got red-hot in the second half to outscore Fenton (4-12) 43-26.
The Blazers were 1-of-10 from the 3-point arc in the first half and Lyons said his team needed an inside game if it was to have a chance during the final two quarters.
“We needed to get the ball around the basket and finish consistently,” he said.
And Addison Trail did just, going 17 of 28 in the second half after going 5 of 28 during the first 16 minutes. The Blazers also hit for five 3-pointers in the final two quarters.
Jordan Garcia and Joe Kurucar each paced the Blazers’ offense with 13 points each. Garcia scored nine of his points in the final quarter and was crucial to the Addison Trail comeback.
“Jordan is a gutsy kid that gives 100 percent each time out,” Lyons said.
Lyons said. he talked to the team on the way over to Tuesday night’s game about the need to try and build some momentum.
“We’re now 7-10. We return home Friday night for a chance to be 8-10 and 2-2 in the conference. We needed to find a way to win tonight. I didn’t envision it this way. Fenton didn’t make easy. Every time we closed the game, they knocked some shots down.”
Like with the Blazers, Fenton coach Joshua Payton said the Bison’s inside game needs work.
“We can’t dwell on this. I’m sure Addison Trail did a great job of making adjustments and they came out strong in the second half,” he said. “We have to establish an inside presence. Relying on our outside game is too inconsistent.”