Wow!
Baranchak's buzzer-beating layup sends
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BUTLER TWP — Add
another element to Nate Snodgrass' game.
Trust.
And Matt Baranchak didn't let him — or anybody else in
Snodgrass fired a pass from the top of the perimeter to Baranchak
as the latter was cutting toward the basket along the left baseline. Baranchak
laid the ball in with just under two seconds remaining
in the second overtime to give
The victory put the Golden Tornado (11-11, 6-6) in the WPIAL
Class AAAA playoffs for the third consecutive year. The Raiders (13-9, 6-6) had
clinched a playoff spot last week.
“Three times there, we had to dig in, backs to the wall, high
school careers on the line,”
The biggest lead all night by either team was
The game was tied eight times and the lead changed hands on nine
occasions.
Alex Maxfield's shot at the buzzer deflected off the rim short to
end regulation. Baranchak stole a Raiders' pass with six seconds left in the
first overtime and West's desperation shot from just inside half-court bounced
harmlessly off the top of the backboard.
Snodgrass sank two free throws with 51 seconds left in the second
OT to knot the game at 50. The Raiders played for the final shot, but Easton
Bazzoli missed with five seconds left and
“I was trying to get a timeout there, but I saw we had a quick
break up the floor, so I let it go,” Clement said.
Tompkins hit Snodgrass with an outlet pass and the Tornado point
guard — sore ankle and all — took off the other way.
“They (Raiders) were trying to peel back and I was trying to beat
them down the floor,” Snodgrass said. “I was gonna try to create contact by
driving the lane, but I saw Matt come open.
“I trusted him to finish the play and he did.”
Snodgrass did not play Tuesday at Central Catholic because of a
severe ankle sprain.
“It felt maybe 95 percent during this game,” he said. “It's a
little sore now, but I'll be ready for the playoffs.”
Baranchak took the Snodgrass pass, beat the pursuit to the hoop
and put his team back in postseason on Senior Night. He was mobbed by a pile of
teammates and fans seconds later.
“Pure joy,” Baranchak said. “You always have to be ready for a
pass in those kind of breakouts. I trust Nate's
judgment there.
“I would have been fine if he didn't make the pass and took it
himself.”
“2.7 seconds. That's the time I saw on the clock when the ball
went in the basket,” Giannotta said. “I'm still waiting for my timeout. I was
calling for it. The officials have to be looking for it there.
“They just ran right off the floor.”
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Snodgrass paced
The Tornado had 17 turnovers in the first three quarters — none
in the fourth quarter or either overtime.
Maxfield had 18 points and eight rebounds for
The Raiders won eight of their final 12 regular season games, the
losses coming by one-point to
“Great game, great atmosphere,” Giannotta said of Friday's game.
“Congratulations to
Clement offered special congratulations to Baranchak before the
two headed to the locker room.
“This is the kid's secondary sport,” Clement said. “He got cut
from his seventh grade team. To enjoy a moment like he did on Senior Night ...
That's why you play high school athletics.
“You just can't buy a memory like that.”
Matt
Smith 2-7 0-3 4,
Nate
Snodgrass 2-11 14-14 18, Cody West 5-9 2-2 16, Seth Horwat 0-1 0-0 0, Trevor
Wideman 0-3 0-0 0, Dom Pusateri 0-1 0-0 0, Luke Hartung 1-3 0-0 2, Matt
Baranchak 3-4 4-6 10, David Tompkins 3-5 0-2 6. Totals: 14-36 20-26 52.
3-point goals: Seneca Valley 1 (Albert);
Junior varsity: