Mt. Pisgah Boys Basketball Buzzer-Beater for the Ages
With just under two minutes left in the 2021 Class 1A Private state championship, smiles darted across the faces of the Holy Innocents’ Episcopal team. They led 41-33 over the Mt. Pisgah boys basketball team, and it seemed that there would be no chance of relinquishing the assured title. But miracles do happen…
As the clock ticked under 1:50, Mt. Pisgah’s junior guard Kash Grady hoisted a corner three which missed, but forward Nate Gordon was right there for the put-back layup. The Patriots then fouled HIES with exactly 1:15 left, but the Bears missed the front end of the one-and-one, giving Mt. Pisgah a chance to lessen the deficit.
On the subsequent possession, Gordon was fouled and converted both of his free throws to make the score 41-37. However, with under a minute left, a comeback still seemed unlikely for the Patriots.
On the ensuing inbound, the Bears made the second costliest mistake of the night. An ill-advised pass was tipped by guard Garrett Sutherland and fell into the waiting arms of Jojo Peterson, who calmly laid the ball in to cut the lead to 41-39.
HIES was beginning to unravel with just tens of seconds remaining in the game. As if things could not get any worse, HIES’s Harrison Verlander traveled while attempting to make a cross-court pass on the ensuing possession. This gave the Patriots a shot to tie the game in regulation.
With exactly 30 seconds remaining, HIES knocked the ball away and out of bounds under the basket, setting up an inbounds play. A lobbed pass in the paint was caught by Gordon, who stunningly put up a shot with three defenders draped all over him. The floater found the bottom of the net, tying the game at 41 in an impossible sequence of events.
Despite momentum being in the Patriots’ favor, there were still 24 seconds remaining for HIES to erase past mistakes. Senior Bears guard Garrison Powell slowly advanced the ball past the half-court line, allowing the clock to drain down for the final shot.
As the clock approached nine seconds, Powell took off towards the basket, aiming for a lane between defenders. It clearly seemed that this would be the man to take the game-winning layup to seal the Bears’ state championship.
Out of nowhere, Mt. Pisgah’s Kash Grady stuck a palm out, jarring the ball free from Powell’s hand with five seconds left. As he sprinted across the top of the court, he was quickly met by three defenders, eliminating any chance at a traditional game-winning shot. But nothing about this game so far had shown any sense of normalcy.
Just inside the 3-point line, Grady pulled up for a contested jump shot.
Swish.
The buzzer rang throughout the Macon Centreplex as Grady was deservedly mobbed by his teammates.
Miraculously, Mt. Pisgah boys basketball completed the most stunning comeback of the year in spectacular fashion to win by a score of 43-41. Who better to hit the title-clinching shot than star guard Kash Grady?
Written by: Dhruv Mohan
