Sometimes you draw up a play for a buzzer-beater and it works to perfection. And sometimes things get a little weird and work out just as perfectly.
Such as was the case at the end of regulation in Saturday’s game between St. Joseph’s and Davidson. The Wildcats (6-8) had taken a 48-39 lead into halftime against the lowly St. Joe’s Hawks (3-12). However, the Hawks battled back in the second half and found themselves down 76-73 with four seconds left in the game.
The Hawks hustled down the court for a desperation heave but had just enough time to create a decent play for themselves. Myles Douglas brought the ball up and drew two defenders, which freed up some space at the top of the three-point line. Douglas saw Lorenzo Edwards standing there and delivered a pass clearly intended for the forward to attempt a buzzer-beater. However, a trailing Ryan Daly instinctually intercepted the pass with one hand and, realizing the clock was about to expire, just heaved the ball one-handed towards the basket.
Somehow, it went in.
Couldn’t have drawn that up any better. In fact, we’re pretty sure you couldn’t have drawn that up, period. Davidson ended up pulling away in overtime to win the game, but it doesn’t discount the acrobatic effort of Daly and the Hawks.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.