Popping off a screen set on the far sideline by Wilson Rankin, Eric Rivers buried a right corner 3-pointer for a majestic moment.
McCallie's senior leader broke 1,000 career points with his first of four long-range makes as Rivers put on a spectacular performance with 25 points and five assists in Monday's 55-37 home win over Boyd Buchanan.
"Because Eric makes the game look so easy, I don't think people realize how good he really is," McCallie coach David Conrady said of his elite point guard who scored 11 fourth quarter points.
"He is a special athlete. A dynamic athlete at that and there are not a lot of those at any level anywhere in the country. On top of that he is a highly skilled player. He has added a lethal 3-point shot to his game too to go with his great driving ability. And it's crazy because he has room to be even better."
Rivers wasn't the only Blue Tornado who stood out in what was a 30-28 home lead with six minutes left in the third quarter.
Junior David Craig made a difference in the paint as the 7-foot-1 rim protector made scoring tough on a talented, but young Buccaneers (9-4) team that starts three sophomores, a freshman and a junior.
Craig helped key a 10-0 run to end the first half as he scored in the paint off a pass from Rivers and then hustled back down the court to grab one of his 11 rebounds which he was able to turn into a quick outlet pass to begin a fastbreak that Rivers cashed in.
"Our guys came out here and battled," Conrady said. "Spencer Turner (nine points) came out and played his guts out and so did Wilson Rankin. Kollin Claridy (eight points, two steals) had a nice game too and was aggressive to the hoop and David was a huge factor for us defensively down the stretch. This was a good win over a solid opponent."
Boyd's Ace Bailey had 11 points, which included a nice coast-to-coast score in the first quarter. Sophomore Jacob Shockley added 10 points, while Karson Gay was stellar on the offensive boards and had three blocked shots for the visitors.
However, Rivers was too much to handle as he put on a scoring clinic, whether by slipping around defenders to the basket or crossing them over to drain a long-range 3-pointer from the top of the key.
"Eric is an unbelievable talent and is a better kid even that he is talent," Bucs coach Josh Templeton said. "He has played in one of the best leagues in the state for four years and he's hard to stop. Especially when he's got the three ball rolling."
Sonoraville 65, LaFayette 40: The host Phoenix won the battle of Region 6-AAA top 10-ranked unbeatens with a dominating first half that saw them pull away to a 36-15 lead. Orry Darnell led the 14-0, 8-0 winners with 23 points, followed by Kevin Morrison with 12 and Murray Somers and Ian King with 10 each.
"We came out and played extremely well on both ends of the floor," Sonoraville coach Brent Mashburn said. "They are a really good basketball team and our kids just competed from start to finish. This group competes for 32 minutes unlike any I have ever had."
LaFayette, which will host the rematch on Jan. 26th, falls to 9-1 overall and 6-1 in the region.
GIRLS' BASKETBALL
Silverdale Baptist 58, Signal Mountain 52: Ryleigh Hoover (21 points) hit three of her seven 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to lead the Lady Seahawks (13-7) to a big win on their home court. Tori and Tessa Gibson combined for 20 points, while Silverdale made 9-of-11 free throws in the closing period. Signal Mountain was sparked by Olivia Koontz who scored 16 of her 21 points in the first half.