Boyd Buchanan junior Caleb Hardaway capped a milestone night for his prep basketball career with a fitting finish as the explosive 6-foot-7 forward lifted off to end a 50-38 home win over Notre Dame with a windmill dunk.
Hardaway was a force from start to finish in the TSAA Division II-A District 2 matchup of Chattanooga rivals as he reached 1,000 career points while scoring 18 — highlighted by a trio of dunks — with seven rebounds and three blocked shots for the Buccaneers.
“This is my favorite moment here at Boyd Buchanan,” Hardaway said not long after Boyd Buchanan’s lively student section popped confetti to celebrate the big win. “Tonight was special. All the students were here, and I had never done a windmill dunk in a game before. They told me to try it, and I had to take full advantage.”
Boyd Buchanan (19-5, 6-0) entered Thursday with four players averaging double figures in points this season as guards Asa Fortune, Hudson Jones and Caleb Nunez have been lights out along with Hardaway in Matt Hoppe’s first season as head coach.
Fortune showcased his clutch ability as the 6-3 playmaker finished with 15 points and nine rebounds while also providing strong defense. Meanwhile, Nunez had the hot hand in the second half as he scored 10 points and made a pair of 3-pointers in the third quarter while also assisting Hardaway on an alley-oop dunk.