(Barker's Nate Luckman beats the Wilson defense for two)
Sometimes there's nothing you can do but shake the other guys' hand and congratulate him. Or as was the case for the Lakemen on Thursday night, shake several hands and say "well done." For most of the contest, it seemed like it was Wilson's night. But with their backs against the wall and a large deficit staring them down late in the game, the Raiders from Barker made a series of plays before the fat lady could clear her throat to sing.
Barker completed an improbable comeback over the visiting Lakemen with some incredibly clutch late-game shooting to earn a 56-54 Niagara -Orleans League victory. The Raiders improve to 5-4 & 2-0 in the N-O, while Wilson falls to 6-4 & 2-1 on the season.
Jake Arnold was the hero of the game for Barker, stepping into a deep 3-pointer and elevating over the outstretched arms of a defender to bury the game-winning shot as the final buzzer rang out. The Raiders were trailing by one point with just 4.5 seconds left when Arnold inbounded the ball to Malik Smith, who gave the ball right back to Arnold on the left wing for the game-winning attempt.
"The play wasn't designed for me," Arnold said. "I saw that the other guys were covered...I'm not a great shooter, but I had the confidence to take the shot. I mainly focus on the defensive end - great defense leads to great offense and this was a great win."
Wilson coach Brett Sippel had a great perspective on things following the tough loss, despite his team never trailing over the final three quarters and being in great defensive position at the end.
"We would live with that if you told me before the play that Jake (Arnold) would step up and hit that," Sippel said. "It was a big three at the most crucial time...good for him, he drilled it."
Arnold's buzzer-beating bomb was far from the only late game drama that unfolded. He had already been up to some late-game heroics, and he wasn't the only one. Wilson led the game 53-44 as the clock ticked under three minutes remaining, before a series of big shots unfolded, and each time the shots were tougher and more spectacular.
Arnold, who scored 10 of his 16 points over the final five minutes of the contest, hit his second trey of the game at the 2:57 mark to cut the Lakemen lead to 53-47. After a stop, Barker found Ed Wasnock alone in the left corner, who caught nothing but net on a his shot from downtown, making it a three-point game, 53-50 with 2:14 left. After Arnold earned a steal, the Raiders got in the hands of Nate Luckman, who Wilson had employed a Box & 1 on. With a defender draped all over him, Luckman created just enough space to get an off-balance 3-pointer off...bang! In just 62 seconds, Barker had erased a nine-point deficit and tied the game at 53-53 with 1:55 to play.
"We didn't really execute well, we had a couple bad possessions & they got a couple offensive rebounds," said Sippel. "I thought the big one was Nate (Luckman) from the corner. We did a really good job defending that - he hit a heck of a shot, he's a heck of a player."
Luckman finished with a team-high 20 points in the game and canned six 3-pointers on the evening. He showed good vision on some long passes that others wouldn't think of attempting, but what stood out was his ability to create his own shot. It seemed like all he needed was a sliver of daylight to make the defense pay. Rarely do you see players in high school who can effectively shoot off the dribble from long range when guarded, but he thrived at it. His smooth stroke would be lethal if ever left alone to take a swing pass in time. The senior scoring leader for the Raiders is no stranger to the extra attention he sees from opposing defenses and regularly sees gameplans designed to limit him.
"They had the Box & 1 on me and the corners were open," Luckman said. "My teammates stepped up and hit some big threes for us."
In total, Barker splashed 13 from beyond the arc. Arnold hit three triples in the game, while Wasnock (14 points) and Austin Sullivan (six points) each stuck a pair.
"I've been drilling them in practice - somebody else has got to step up," said Barker coach Don Baker. "I thought Jake played a great defense game and got us a couple great steals and obviously hit that big shot at the end."
Wilson took the lead late in the opening quarter on a 3-pointer by Jonah Miller, who connected from long range four times in the contest and finished the game with 18 points. A 7-0 run to end the frame gave the Lakemen a 19-12 lead heading into the second quarter and they never relinquished it the rest of the way.
A big reason why Wilson was in control on the scoreboard throughout was the play of Justin Daul, recently named Third Team All-State in Class C for his play at quarterback with the football team. The senior who missed all of last season with an injury, played with relentless energy the whole game at both ends.
"What a big difference he is," Sippel said. "He plays so hard and the rest of the guys feed off that."
Daul finished with a game-high 26 points and dominated play in the paint, despite not being a true post player. Everytime you could sense a run coming from Raiders, Daul seemed to attack the basket and make a play for the Lakemen. He was equally effective on the defensive end and did everything he could have to will his team to a win.
"Coach Sippel gets everything out of his players," Baker said. "We had no answer for him."
Big games await both teams in the N-O this Tuesday, as each hosts one of the league favorites. Barker welcomes Newfane from just down the road, while Wilson entertains Medina.
Wilson 19 - 12 - 11 - 12 = 54
Barker 12 - 13 - 13 - 18 = 56
Point Totals
Barker: Nate Luckman 20, Jake Arnold 16, Ed Wasnock 14, Austin Sullivan 6
Wilson: Justin Daul 26, Jonah Miller 18, Steven Frerichs 3, Nate Fox 3, Jared Carney 2, Connor Seeley 2
- centercourt
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