Exclusive to the Lehigh Acers Gazette By Dick Allan (Click here to see other photos)
The only words that could describe the ending to the Region 6A-3 Florida state boys’ basketball tournament – shocking!
The only words that could be used to describe the ending to Lehigh Senior High School’s most promising basketball season ever – shocking!
Simply stated – shocking!
More than 200 students, parents, teachers, cheerleaders, and fans traveled north to Jefferson High School in Tampa to witness what was so many thought would be the last step to the final four – a trip to Lakeland – a state championship.
Hours earlier, in the parking lot were buses were loading students, faculty and fans who were making the three-hour trip north, the new Lehigh Lightning football coach (who was attending the game) James Chaney was asked what his early season focus and messages have been to his new team. Without hesitation he said “Finish – Finish your classes, Finish school. And finish on the field”. How prophetic these words would become just four and a half hours later …JUST FINISH!
The Jefferson Dragons Den was ringing with the most famous basketball song of all-time – Nah Nah Nah Nah, Nah Nah Nah Nah, Hey Hey, Good Buy. The over 200 zany, hysterical, Lehigh crazies were raising the rafters as the clock showed a mere 38 seconds remaining in the game and Lehigh had what was seemingly an insurmountable 6 point lead and they have the ball! What started out so promising, winning the tip off, and burying the first shot of the game, a three-pointer no less, then followed by a patent slam dunk the evening was off to a glorious start. Lehigh held the lead every single minute of the first half going into the locker room 32-29 after leading by as many as 7 points.
After two back-to-back turnovers by Lehigh to start the second half, Jefferson had cut the lead to 2. And with 6:31 remaining in the third period they took the lead 33 – 32 for the first time. It would only last less than 15 seconds as the Lightning took control again and soon moved the lead back up to 6 before letting the pesky Dragons back into at the end of the third 52 – 51.
The game sea sawed back and forth in the final period, but Lehigh never gave up the lead until …… leading by 6 with 38 ticks left on the clock and with Lehigh holding the ball, things did not look good for the hometown Dragons. Then it started. Turnover # 1. Resulting in a desperate three ball shot thrown up from the corner banking off the glass cutting the lead to 3. But Lehigh still has the ball. A quick time out by Jefferson set the stage.
They say the definition of insanity is doing the same things again and again, and expecting different results. When Lehigh lined up for the inbounds pass in the same set that they had moments earlier, and then ran the same inbounds play, well the result was exactly the same – turnover # 2. A resulting basket cut the Lightning lead to 1, 72 – 71. And there was still 7.8 seconds left but Lehigh will get one more chance to put this game away after a Dragons time out.
Certainly, this inbounds pass will find its way past half court. But, insanity reigns. Turnover # 3 and after Jefferson’s last time out, there are 4.1 seconds left to Lakeland! However this time it’s Jefferson that has the ball. Cinderella, does this Regional Crown fit?
That answer came with an inbounds pass, a couple of dribbles, a bounce pass to an open Dragon for an uncontested layup and Lehigh (26 – 2) found itself on the short end of a 73-72 final score. A shocking ending to as an exciting high school basketball game as you will ever find. One couldn’t write a script more compelling.
It was simply, well SHOCKING!