For The Tribune
CHARLESTOWN
The score was tied, and just 14.9 seconds remained in the game. Brownstown Central’s boys basketball team had the ball and the momentum.
Brownstown couldn’t lose.
Then came the loose ball, which landed in the hands of Salem’s ultra-quick lefty freshman Xavier Haendiges. Just four seconds remained in the game.
Without hesitation, Haendiges blurred down the court, covering 60 feet and putting up an awkward, desperate shot just in front of the rim.
The ball banked off the glass, nestled into the net as the final buzzer sounded and, improbably, gave the underdog Lions a 65-63 victory.
The win, Salem’s first against Brownstown since 2007, moved the Lions (18-5) into today’s championship game of the Class 3A Charlestown Sectional.
Salem will take on Silver Creek, which defeated Charlestown in Friday’s other semifinal.
“I picked up the ball, saw there was four seconds left and knew I could get to the basket,” Haendiges said.
Ironically, the player closest to the shot never saw it go in.
“I heard the crowd and got tackled by my teammates, so I knew,” Haendiges said. “But I didn’t see the ball go in.”
For Brownstown, Friday’s devastating loss ended a promising season at 21-4.
“That’s one of the tougher locker rooms I’ve ever been in,” Brownstown head coach Dave Benter said. “They’re hurting. This team had a special year. We feel like any team that wins this sectional could make a deep run.”
Brownstown believed it would be that team, but Salem announced with a 7-0 run in the game’s first 59 seconds that it planned to give the Braves a fight.
“Our speech before the game was, ‘Let’s punch them in the nose and attack,’” Salem head coach Hank Weedin said of his team’s fast start.
Brownstown recovered and tied the game at nine late in the first quarter. But the offensive struggles that plagued the Braves in Tuesday’s first-round win against North Harrison persisted Friday night.
“We were out of sync Tuesday night and for the first three quarters tonight,” Benter said. “Our turnovers put us on our heels defensively, then we got into foul trouble.
The Braves shot just 41 percent from the floor, including 25 percent from 3-point range. Salem countered with 50 percent shooting from the floor and a solid 22-for-27 (81 percent) from the foul line.
When Salem’s Seth Hobson completed an and-one 25 seconds into the fourth quarter, the Lions enjoyed a 13-point lead and appeared to be coasting. That’s when Brownstown’s offense began to stir.
A Carson Lambring 3-pointer cut the lead to 47-40 with 7:02 to play. A Jacoby Shade 3 narrowed the gap to 55-50 with 4:12 to go. Another Shade 3-pointer with 2:12 to go put BC within two points at 60-58.
Cam Shoemaker completed the long, difficult comeback when he made a layup, was fouled, and drained the free shot, tying the game at 63 with 1:01 left.
Salem’s Derek Cornett missed a jumper in the lane with 39 seconds left, with Shade securing the rebound and giving Brownstown a shot at an improbable comeback win of its own.
Benter called a timeout and designed a play to go through Shoemaker, who had been Brownstown’s steadiest player all night. But when Shoemaker broke to the top of the lane to receive a pass from Matt Nierman, the ball bounced off of Shoemaker and into Haendiges’ hands.
“We got it to (Shoemaker) too late,” Benter said. “That’s a good zone play (Salem was in a 2-3 zone). Cam is a good high-low player. He’s such a good passer, but we were too late getting him the ball. It was just a broken play.”
Salem’s Weedin said calling a timeout wasn’t a thought.
“I didn’t even see the steal,” Weedin said. “I was watching off the ball. When Xavier got it, my first thought was, ‘Don’t turn it over.’ My second thought was, ‘I hope he gets fouled,’ because I didn’t know if he could get a shot off under pressure. But he got it to roll in.
“Both teams played their hearts out.”
The two teams played a physical game, with 48 fouls called. Five players fouled out, and 65 free throws were attempted.
The game became a contest of the “Dueling 30s,” with each team’s No. 30 dominating. Salem’s Hobson ended with 16 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out. Brownstown’s Shoemaker finished with 22 points and seven rebounds.
“Both 30s played well,” Benter said. “Cam put us on his shoulders. Hobson seemed like he was getting every rebound.”
Cody Waskom added 18 points for Brownstown.
Benter said his seniors were a special group and that he hopes they don’t dwell on their final game.
“I credit our guys, they really battled tonight,” Benter said. “This is the worst way to lose a game. It’s indescribable how much it hurts. We told our seniors, ‘Don’t let this game define you.’ They’re a special group. They’ve got the qualities to be successful in life.”