Park Tudor’s improbable game-winner takes over social media
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The play is called “winner” for a reason.
The Park Tudor Panthers practice the play about once a week, just in case.
That case came Friday night against Bethesda.
“I actually knew it was going in,” said senior Bryce Petty, who tipped in a long shot to beat the Patriots at the buzzer. “The way it landed perfectly in my hands, I knew it was going in.”
“It honestly didn’t even feel real when he made it,” senior Jermaine Coleman said. “I saw the ball get tipped and then he caught it, and I was like, ‘Dang, he’s going to have a chance to make this shot.’ And then he made it. The gym just went silent. It was pretty crazy.”
Park Tudor head coach Tim Adams said, “In my 13 years of coaching, I’ve never been a part of a game that has ended that way, so it’s definitely at the top of the list.”.
The buzzer-beater wasn’t the only crazy part of that game. The Patriots erased the Panther’s 8-point lead in the final four minutes, then hit what they thought was their own game-winner. Instead, the Panthers used their final timeout to draw up a miracle.
“It was kind of tough, because we knew that if we would’ve hit free throws, we would’ve been up,” junior Kamon Washington said. “But, we just knew that that game was ours somehow. So, we had to make it work.”
“To be honest, we weren’t really nervous at all,” Coleman added. “We weren’t thinking about how the game was over. We knew Adams had called a time out and we were going to have a chance to win the game.”
“The thing I was most impressed with our guys is how calm and collected they were, and how locked in they were with playing that 1.8 seconds out and not knowing what was going to happen,” Adams said. “I was really proud to see them come out on top.”
The team woke up the next morning to the video being shared all over social media. Even former IU coach Tom Crean gave the Panthers some love. The shot itself might’ve only taken 1.8 seconds, but it was a good 24 hours for reality to sink in.
“My mind was everywhere. I had my whole family sending it to me,” Petty said. “I watched it probably like at least 100 times. I was just thinking like, ‘Wow.’”
“It’s been retweeted. It’s been posted. I wanted our guys to enjoy it because it’s a special moment, absolutely, and those are things that bring groups together and teams together,” Adams said.
The Panthers’ prayer answered.