LYNDHURST – 3…..2…..1…..<buzzer sound>. From the time when kids first develop a love for the game of basketball until they well into adulthood, that countdown is the soundtrack heard across parks, gyms, and driveways all over the world. The thought of time winding down and having the last shot to win is the scenario that every player dreams of.

Only on the rarest of occasions does that exact scenario get to play out in front of a packed crowd in the biggest game of your career, but that was the situation Robert Lopez was presented with in NJIC semifinals. Trailing St. Mary’s (Rutherford) by two with just three seconds to play, Lopez took a cross-court pass, took a dribble, and let one fly just he had done in his dreams so many times before.

The sophomore guard dream with a became a reality as his shot while fading out of bounds from the corner swished through as the buzzer sounded to send No. 4 seed Glen Rock, which led for just 36 seconds the entire game, into its first NJIC Tournament final by knocking off defending champion and top-seeded St. Mary, 72-71, at Lyndhurst High School.

“It’s unbelievable, it’s something you dream about,” said Lopez.

With their motion offense that never stops until they get the shot they want, the Panthers felt confident coming into the game. However, they had trouble with St. Mary size early. Victor Torres scored twice inside, and Sammy Tornabene hit bookend baskets to end the first quarter and start the second to give the Gaels a seven-point lead. It looked like this was a point where they could pull away. However, in a game full of twists the turnover bug bit the Gaels and gave Glen Rock some momentum.

St. Mary’s turned the ball over on four of their next five possessions and the Panthers scored on three of those four turnovers. Sam Viggiano’s three-pointer gave the Panthers’ their first lead. It was short-lived as LJ Falconi answered on the other end with a three of his own as the Gaels took a 35-32 halftime lead.

BJ Cunningham’s three-pointer midway through the third quarter doubled that lead to six. The Panthers answered right back on the next two possessions with baskets from Jack Hattersley and Mason Mangione. This is the point where the game went from a good high school basketball game to one of the best Bergen County has seen in recent memory. Over the final 11 minutes, neither team led by more than four points.

Mangione heated up down the stretch with a bucket and then a three-pointer to put Glen Rock ahead, 61-58. Luke Gaccione single-handedly pulled them back into the lead on the next two possessions. He hit a three-pointer from the corner and then hit another from the top of the key while getting fouled, completing the four-point play to put the Gaels back in front, 65-63. From there, the Panthers traded baskets with free-throws from Cunningham (who went 6-8 at the foul line over the final two minutes).

What ended up as a dream originally seemed like a nightmare for Lopez. The Gaels’ lead was still two when Lopez stepped to the foul line with 14 seconds to play.  He had a chance to tie the game hit the first free-throw but missed the second, with Cunningham getting the rebound and subsequently fouled with 10.8 seconds to play.

Cunningham mirrored Lopez by swishing the first free-throw but missing the second, Viggiano got the ball over mid-court and called timeout with exactly three seconds remaining and the Panthers down by two. It was the Panthers’ final timeout, and Glen Rock head coach Jason Mittleman had their full attention in the huddle.

“I felt down after missing that second free-throw by my teammates and my coaches picked me up when I needed it,” said Lopez. “They kept telling me ‘Next play’. Then we got one more shot and the ball came my way.”

Taking the ball out on the opposite side of where the scorer’s table was, Matt Kaplan looked to get the ball to either Hattersley or Mangione, who were both cutting ball-side, but neither was open. Just a second away from picking a five-second violation that would have essentially ended the game, Kaplan went for the only remaining safety valve, albeit a dangerous one, a cross-court pass to Lopez. He caught the ball in front of the Glen Rock bench, took a dribble, then let an off-balance shot go just over the outstretched hand of Elijah Caldwell. The final buzzer sounded as the ball was in the air and touched nothing but net as Lopez sprinted to the other end of the gym before being mobbed by his teammates.

“I knew there wasn’t a lot of time, once I caught the ball, I knew I had to put it up to get the shot off in time,” added Lopez. “We were down the whole game, but you never know what can happen and that’s why you keep playing hard. When you play with heart, you play the right way, and you play together, you always feel like you’re in the game even when you’re down.”

Mangione led all players with 20 points for Glen Rock (17-6). Hattersley, Lopez, and Viggiano also scored in double-figures with 17, 14, and 12 points, respectively.

St. Mary’(16-6) had five players in double-figures, led by Torres with 17 points. Gaccione and Cunningham each had 15, while Tornabene had 12 and Falconi chipped in with 10.

Glen Rock, who has won five in a row and 10 out of its last 12 games, will play for the NJIC Tournament title on Friday at Secaucus High School. The Panthers will take on second-seeded Paterson Charter, who advanced to the final with a 68-58 win over Lyndhurst. With everything to gain, nothing to lose, and already a game and a shot that will live in their minds forever, the Panthers are excited to play with an NJIC Tournament title on the line.

“We’re hot right now and we’re excited to play for the championship on Friday,” said Lopez. “This feels amazing, but we have to turn it around and give the same effort in practice tomorrow to get ready for another tough game.”

FOR MORE PHOTOS FROM THIS EVENT PLEASE CLICK HERE. TO BUY A COLLECTOR'S PRINT OF THIS STORY PLEASE VISIT 4-FeetGrafix.com.