Hoops: Besting Besant Hill
Heart-pounding stuff, player or fan.
Redefining “nail-biter” as applied to sports, this week’s Varsity Boys’ Basketball game against Condor League opponent and Upper Ojai neighbor Besant Hill had fans both riveted and not daring to watch as Thacher’s all-game lead widened and narrowed over and over and over again. The extra spice to this match? BHS’s varsity had never gone down to another League school. In fact, in their first year fielding a varsity team--2008-2009--they won the CIF Southern Section for their division. And again in 2010.
While Thacher’s boys were pumped for the challenge and skilled enough to meet it, BHS was not going to wave any white flag without a worthy battle. And that's what the first thirty minutes of play certainly provided, the fourth quarter most intensely: successful ramrod drives by BHS, stretches of couldn’t- buy-a-basket for Thacher, big hits and off-the-rim misses for both squads--and with two minutes left on the clock, BHS took its first lead in the whole game.
Here’s the rest of the story, breathless and true, from Coach Carney:
With 1:50 to go we scored a huge transition bucket as Evan Farese ‘13 drove down the left side and drew two players to hit Lucas Currie ‘12 for a lay-up to tie it at 41. After they missed, we hit one ft with 1:20 left to a take a short-lived lead. They went up 43-42 on a clutch drive to the bucket from one of their top players with :40 seconds left. Evan pushed it upcourt and drove down the middle, and at the free throw line when two BH defenders ran at him, he dished the ball to Joe Bell ‘12. The ball got smacked around and ended up hitting the front of the rim where we got a fortunate bounce, and it went right to Evan who was following the play, and he laid it in off the backboard with 22 seconds left, 44-43. Great play by Evan rising up and finishing. They missed; we hit one more ft with 9 seconds to play, 45-43. Ultimately, their last shot from deep went long and pandemonium ensued!
Out of the bleachers and onto the court poured the Thacher fans, mobbing the players, their schoolmates and friends--a knot of ecstatic Toads, hopping over each other in sweet, sweet victory.
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