A referee rejecting Health Sciences coach Ty Parker wanting to sub out Dwayne Thirst with 11.3 seconds remaining in overtime was the blessing in disguise Health Sciences needed.
With the game tied at 59, Williamsville East’s Mason Evans was going to try to go the length of the court until Health Science’s Amir Moye stripped him in the backcourt. Moye passed it to Thirst for a wide-open layup, giving the Falcons the lead. As the clock ticked and with the Flames out of timeouts, Thirst then made a clutch deflection, causing Williamsville East to attempt a full-court shot after the buzzer.
Health Sciences stormed the court with its cheerleaders in celebration, Parker paced back and forth, clapping his hands saying, “Shut everybody up,” as his team won the Section VI Class AA2 final, 61-59.
“This was a hard-fought battle,” Parker said. “I tip my hat to coach [RJ] Killinger and Williamsville East because we knew they’d come ready to play. Our guys showed resilience, resolve and belief. I told them they need to believe in themselves and I’m proud of our guys and coaching staff. This is the type of game you want to be in and this is why we play a tough schedule, for these moments. Our guys didn’t get rattled and didn’t give up when they could’ve.”
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It seemed like Williamsville East was going to upset Health Sciences (20-3). Falcons players showed their emotions by putting their jerseys over their face and just seemed frustrated as the Flames faithful sensed they were closing in on a championship. But then Williamsville East (13-10) went 3 of 8 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter, giving Health Sciences hope.
Hope is all the Falcons needed at the end of regulation, and with 4.3 seconds left, Michael Whitt went the length of the court for a layup at the buzzer to force overtime.
“We originally thought Michael wasn’t going to play because he hurt his shoulder in the last game,” Parker said. “Mike toughed it out and didn’t practice all week. I saved him for today and he had the presence of mind to drive and got the bucket.”
Moye led Health Sciences with 25 points on 11 of 18 shooting. Ten of his points came in the fourth quarter and overtime. He also had nine rebounds, seven assists, five steals and a block.
“This is big and I just got to enjoy the moment,” Moye said. “We fought through adversity and came through with the win. I knew we needed a quick stop and when he [Mason] went behind his back, I held him a little bit and the ref didn’t see it and I got the ball and dished it to Dwayne for the finish.”
Health Sciences will face Jamestown in the crossover game at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Buffalo State for the right to advance to the Far West Regional.
The Red and Green (19-4) beat Lockport (16-7) in the Class AA1 final, 69-44. It’s the program’s first sectional title under first-year coach Bill Miley, who spent the previous 20 seasons as the junior varsity coach.
“This is obviously a great thing,” Miley said. “I’m certainly fortunate enough to have a great group in my first year. This was one of our goals at the beginning of the season, so to be able to accomplish this is exciting and hope there’s more to come.”
Jaydian Johnson scored a game-high 27 points on 10 of 19 shooting, 4 of 8 from the three-point line, and 3 of 4 from the stripe. He also had five rebounds, four assists and two steals. His backcourt mate, Dominic Gonzalez, shot 9 of 15, 3 of 5 from three, for 21 points. Gonzalez added six assists.
“We knew we had the talent to do this,” Gonzalez said. “We knew if we worked hard we’d be able to be where we are now. We just have the keep momentum going for a team like Health Sciences.
