Game-winning free throw has special meaning to Fenton's Lopez
Fenton junior guard Ricky Lopez's quiet gesture barely attracted any attention late in Wednesday's game.
But it meant the world to him.
Lopez canned a free throw with 4.3 seconds remaining to lift the Bison to a 40-39 comeback win over Mather in the Class 3A Fenton regional semifinal.
The Bison (21-11) advance to Friday's 7 p.m. regional final against St. Viator.
Without Lopez's late heroics it might have been a different ending. After grabbing a loose ball near the basket in a tie game, Lopez was fouled with 4.3 left. He calmly drilled the first free throw, then turned around and took a few steps before pointing one of his fingers up in the air with his back toward his teammates.
Mather turned the over to miss a chance for the road win.
Lopez said his subtle gesture was in attribute of his uncle Tommy Lopez, who passed away in November. Ricky Lopez finished with 2 points, but his final free throw was the winning attempt.
"I just tried to stay focused," Lopez said of his winning free throw. "I just tried to blank out the crowd and focus on the free throw. That free throw was for my Uncle Tom. He passed away in November. Me and him were (close). That meant a lot to me. I didn't want to let my teammates down. It's an amazing feeling."
Junior forward Frankie Krygier, known in the program as "Fundamental Frank," was a catalyst in the victory, scoring a team-high 18 points. Krygier scored 6 of Fenton's 8 third-quarter points to help his team overcome a scoring lull that included their first eight possessions of the second half.
Senior forward Diamon King added 12 points despite picking up his fourth foul early in the fourth quarter.
"Ricky is cool as it comes in those pressure situations," Fenton coach Chaz Taft. "In those situations we know something is going to happen where he will do great things for us. I thought my guys hung tough. Frankie played his game. He just does everything right, all the little intangibles that probably don't go in the scorebook."
The Rangers (13-16) led 31-29 at the end of the third quarter, but the Bison scored four straight points to seize a 33-31 edge. Senior forward Tim Odueyungbo, who finished with a game-high 17 points, scored four straight points to give the visitors a 37-35 lead. But King added a basket and two free throw to set up the dramatic ending.
Krygier scored on a layup, off a pass from King, to tie the score at 39-39 with 1:02 left. The Rangers closed the game with three straight turnovers.
The Bison tied the school record for wins in a season, set by the 1975-76 team that won a Class AA regional title. Before this season the Bison had won just a total of 48 games in the last eight seasons.
"I'm happy for the guys, to play in a regional championship on Friday and see what happens against a great team in St. Viator," Taft said.