By JOSH HALLORAN
The aura in the gym felt like a scene from the movie Hoosiers, with both student sections on their feet chanting back and forth as the players aligned the court with 11 seconds left in the game, to make a memory that will last a lifetime.
On Jan. 31, the boy’s basketball team traveled to Edgewater High School for the cross-town rivals matchup.
In the first quarter, it went back and forth with Eagles junior guard Eddie Keith knocking down back to back three-pointers from beyond NBA range, as senior guard Robert Irwin answered back with two three-pointers of his own. The Braves entered the second quarter trailing 16-19.
At the end of a high scoring first half the Braves trailed by two, 42-44. Both teams were shooting over 40 percent from the field as senior Robert Rimmer kept his focus on the defensive end with four blocks and nine rebounds, joining him into an exclusive category of over 1,000 rebounds in his high school career.
As the game went on the tension built. Both teams sustained their composure after Rimmer got into a scuffle with Edgewater senior forward Kaashif English and was called for a technical foul, which put Rimmer on the bench with four fouls late in the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, it was both Irwin and junior Barry Taylor who kept the Braves chance alive. Irwin converted on two pull up jumpers and finished the game with 12 points and six rebounds. However, it was Taylor who picked off the pass by English, leading to a fast break layup to cut the deficit to a one point game.
With 24 seconds left in the game, the Eagles sustained a one point lead with one thing on their minds: don’t turn the ball over.
And then it happened.
Eagles guard Jay Brown was trapped at the top of the key and was forced to throw a cross court pass to senior Dominique Wilson. With 11 seconds left coach Greg Shirley took his final timeout to draw up a play, which he gave Taylor the green light to take the final shot.
As Taylor set up at the top of the key… 8 seconds left; he swung the ball to Irwin who got trapped… 5 seconds left; Irwin threw a dump pass to Rimmer who was wide open… 2 seconds left; Rimmer got blocked off the backboard, but with 0.3 seconds left Wilson banked the ball off the backboard for the score.
As the crowds stormed the court, all eyes were on the officials and whether or not they were going to count the basket. Despite the noise level in the gym, one could not hear the buzzer sound. The final score read, Boone 67, Edgewater 66.
The Braves enter the District Tournament at 7:30 p.m. on Wedensday, Feb. 6, as they take on Cypress Creek at Cypress Creek.
The Eagles are contesting the score to FHSAA officials. To see the news report, click here.