With the score tied at 61 and 1.3 seconds on the clock it took a well executed sideline inbounds play, a perfect pass from Marshon Norfleet and great finish by Denton Koon, to get the victory at Blue Springs South tonight. The play can be viewed at the bottom of the blog.
The Jays' offense played extremely well in the first half scoring 30 points in the first 16 minutes of action. However, they found themselves down by a point 30-31. A solid inside game provided an offensive punch with Koon, Bryan Adams, Marcus Lucas, and Austin Weese doing the damage. "I liked our inside-out strategy tonight. The ball moved, the players moved, and our guards did an excellent job of pushing the tempo," stated assistant Coach Chris McCabe. "We're an effective offensive team when we play to our strengths."
Liberty had a productive 3rd quarter out-scoring the Jaguars 19-10 in the frame. Then early in the fourth quarter the Jays increased their lead to 11 points by attacking the rim, getting to the foul line, and a 3 point shot by JT Nixon. With a 44-55 disadvantage, the Jaguars didn't fold and forced some turnovers and quick shots by the Jays to shrink the deficit. With the score tied at 61 and under 30 secs to play, the Jays defense stepped up, forcing a tough shot by the Jags, and then getting the rebound with 1.9 secs left. The Jays called timeout and set up a 'football-type' pass play to get to beyond half court. An good pass from Weese and catch by Norfleet set up the game winning sideline play.
'Our players did an outstanding job of playing defense on South's last possession. I thought JT played a tremendous game on both ends of the floor, but especially on the defensive side," commented assistant coach Phil Simpson.
It doesn't get any easier for the Jays on Friday as they travel to Ray-Pec to face the Panthers.
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