NASHVILLE – A basketball game that appeared headed to overtime ended instead in heartbreak today for McCallie.
Christian Brothers junior Chris Deanes launched a 70-foot prayer at the buzzer that bounced off the front of the rim, then appeared to ricochet off the shot clock and dropped through the basket, giving the Purple Wave a 58-55 victory in the Division II-AA state semifinals at Lipscomb University.
Christian Brothers will play second-ranked Montgomery Bell Academy at 6 p.m. Saturday in the state championship game. MBA (23-5) knocked off top-ranked Ensworth 84-80 in an earlier semifinal today.
McCallie scored the game’s first 13 points, including three consecutive 3-pointers by Jordan Price, but the Purple Wave chipped away at the deficit in the second half, finally tying the score on Frankie Bougher’s 3-pointer with 2:19 remaining in the game.
They ultimately took the lead, but Price tied the game with two free throws with eight seconds remaining, and McCallie had a chance to go ahead when Deanes stepped out of bounds while rushing the ball upcourt. However, McCallie missed and Deanes heaved the shot at the buzzer to win the game.