Jets Ramey United 17u Mount Late Comeback
Faced with a daunting, late 8-point deficit in Saturday early afternoon bracket play, Jets Ramey United 17u snatched a victory, 57-55.
Maurice Edwards (Alton, Illinois) slashed through the murky mass of bodies in the final ten seconds, only to emerge with a clanging smash off the glass. It fell through the cylinder with 5.5 seconds remaining.
A technical Iowa Barnstormers outfit carved out a substantial lead all afternoon, only to see several special late-game exploits erase the efforts.
Two timeouts later, a nearly halfcourt heave found the rim, but no solace for the disheartened Barnstormers.
Final Plays
To tie the game at 55 required a heroic attempt from Destin Williams (Pattonvillle HS). Despite missing a low percentage mid-range jumper just one possession earlier, Williams hesitated not a wink when the ball found him again. A kick out rested in Williams’ eager hands. On the wing, Williams nailed a open three-pointer to completely chop that lead to zero points.
Destin Williams nails game-tying triple.Now 55-55, the game’s high-scorer took over.
Maurice Edwards.
“Our coach wanted me to be aggressive the whole game,” said Edwards. “I haven’t been playing that well, but I kept working.”
Edwards was tasked with creating something out of nothing. Jets Ramey United 17u decided to hold for the last shot. The game clock teasingly ticked from 55.7 seconds down to the final ten.
“I saw a lane,” said Edwards. “They stacked it up. I just took it at them.”
Edwards had plenty of arms in his way, but used strength to get the shot up to the backboard. The glass acted more like a trampoline than a cushion. Fortunately, Edwards’ angle was perfect and it bashed careened directly in.
Jets Ramey United celebrated a little, and when the Iowa Barnstormers missed their buzzer-beating attempt they celebrated a lot more.
Head coaches from California, Illinois, SIUE, and SMU all watched from the bleachers. Assistants from many Midwest programs evaluated alongside.
Plaudits
Leading scorers for Jets Ramey included Illini-verbal Javon Pickett (20 points)and the aforementioned Maurice Edwards (22). Destin Williams scored six points, on two 4th quarter three-pointers.
A pair of Austins were the best in the game for the Barnstormers. Austin Ash (15 points) and Austin Phyfe (16 points) did the heavy lifting.