March
11, 2004
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| Porter Braswell beat the final buzzer with a three-pointer that gave Seton Hall prep a one-point win over Bosco in Wednesday's Parochial A North final. | |
JERSEY CITY -- It was a resilient one-point lead that Don Bosco Prep held with 29 seconds to play in Wednesday night's NJSIAA Parochial A North final. It had already withstood two potential game-winning shots by Seton Hall Prep and was still intact with the Pirates' Chris Andrews standing along the sideline waiting to trigger an inbounds pass with 2.4 seconds left in the game.
Unlike
its two previous tries on the same possession, Seton Hall Prep found the third
time to be a charm. Andrews inbounded the ball to Porter Braswell, who came
running free off a screen on the baseline. Braswell caught the pass, collected
himself and launched the three from the corner that beat Don Bosco Prep, 46-45,
at the final buzzer.
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| John Oates' free throw with 29 seconds left to play gave Bosco a 45-43 lead. |
"I just remember saying, 'Go for it. Shoot with confidence," said Braswell. "To tell you the truth, I don't know (if my feet were behind the line). I was just trying to get the shot off, get it in the air hope it went in."
It did go in and, after reviewing the play on video, it indeed was a three-pointer. Braswell shot off his back foot, which was a few inches behind the arc, as his front foot hung in the air at the time he let the ball go.
Seton Hall Prep (26-2) led by two, 33-31, at halftime and neither team had larger than a four-point lead in the second half. There were seven lead changes and two ties in the fourth quarter alone and Bosco (25-4) was holding the slimmest of leads inside the last four minutes.
The Ironmen
went up 40-39 on a Tyrell Biggs basket off an inbounds play, 42-40 on a foul
line jumper from John Oates with 2:21 to play and 44-42 on an Oates layup
off an assist by Steve Natoli with 1:40 to play.
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| SHP's Chris Andrews splitting the Bosco defense for 2 of his 6 points. |
After SHP's Andrew Pusar made it a one-point game by hitting one of two free throws with 1:07 to go, Oates made one of two with 29 seconds left that gave Bosco a 45-43 lead and set up the final trip down the floor.
Seton Hall had three time outs remaining and used them all in the last 25 seconds. That gave Pirate head coach Bob Ferrell three chances to design the game-winning play. For a coach that has now won 590 games and 13 section titles (including 11 of the last 15) in the past 27 seasons, it was child's play.
The first set was designed for Braswell, who came through a screen to get a wide-open look from the wing. The shot came up short but Andrew Pusar grabbed a key offensive rebound leading up to timeout No. 2 with 14 seconds to play.
The Pirates
came out of the huddle and Brandon Costner came off a screen to find a three
just to the right of dead on. The ball was wide right, Oates had the first
chance to clear the rebound, but when he brought the ball down, Andrews knocked
it free. The resulting loose ball led to a shared possession, Seton Hall had
the arrow and called its last time out with 2.4 seconds to play.
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| Bosco's Tyrell Biggs led all scorers with 19 points. |
Moments later, Braswell ended Don Bosco Prep's season, one in which the Ironmen captured the Bergen County championship and an NNJIL Division C crown.
"The last shot was for Brandon (Costner) also, but they kind of took it away with 2.4 seconds left," said Ferrell, whose team is now one win from a 10th Parochial A state title under his leadership. "We switched Porter into that spot and if he couldn't get it, reversal pass to Brandon up top. (Braswell) knew enough to shoot it with 2.4 seconds to go…gutty play."
Biggs capped his stellar junior season with a game-high 19 points. Oates (9 points), Chris Rose (7 points) and Carl Augustin (7 points), Bosco's three senior starters, combined for 23 points and sophomore James Bryant hit a first quarter three-pointer to account for the Ironmen's other points.
Pusar scored eight of his 11 points in the second half for Seton Hall Prep, which will play Parochial South A champion St. Augustine on Saturday in the Parochial A final in Toms River.
Braswell had 10, including the game's final three, Alex Wujciak had 6 of his 8 points in the second half while Costner and Andrews each finished with 6 points. Darryl Harvey, Jr. gave the Pirates a lift down the stretch, scoring all five of his points in the fourth quarter.
For more pictures from this event or to purchase a Collector's Print of this story, visit the NJS.com School Store!
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