Crowd stunned by wrong-basket buzzer-beater
YUKON, Okla. >> With a one-point lead, 2.9 seconds to play and possession of the ball, all Hugo High School had to do was inbound the basketball and run out the clock to advance in the Oklahoma state boys’ basketball tournament.
But what followed stunned everyone.
Hugo guard Trey Johnson got confused after he received the inbounds pass and laid the ball into the wrong basket just before time expired, giving the opposing team, Millwood High, a 38-37 win Thursday night and a place in the Class 3A semifinals.
“When I saw the kid going that way, I was like, ‘No, he’s not. No, he’s not … Oh, yes he is,'” Millwood assistant coach David Samilton told The Oklahoman. “I couldn’t believe it.”
Johnson needed only to dribble away the remaining seconds to wrap up a victory for Hugo. Instead, he got turned around and dropped in a most bizarre buzzer-beater, Hugo coach Darnell Shanklin told The Associated Press Friday.
Hugo’s celebrating fans went silent, and Millwood fans broke out in celebration after a moment of silence for reassurance that the points — and the win — were theirs.
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“Without a doubt, that’s the toughest locker room I’ve ever had to talk to,” Shanklin said.
Johnson was tough to console, Shanklin said, adding that other players on the team called and texted him today.
“The kid feels terrible. It’s still a game, regardless of what anyone says, basketball is still a game,” Shanklin said.
With the win, Millwood advances to a semifinal matchup against two-time defending state champ, Centennial High.
“I feel sorry for him,” Samilton said. “I really do feel sorry for him. But hey, I’ll take it.”