By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
It may be the wildest sequence of plays in the history of the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions.
With the game tied at 65, Glendale ran down the game clock to hold for the last shot. Senior Monty Johal – SPS’s all-time leading scorer – held the ball with 30 points to his name already. But, his game-winning shot attempt was deflected by Cal signee Matt Bradley… right into the hands of senior Damion Squire.
And… bang!
Squire’s heave from the opposite free throw line found nothing but the bottom of the net, lifting Wasatch to a thrilling 68-65 consolation semifinal win in the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions.
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“I told the kids that I’ve never been a part of anything like that before,” said Glendale head coach Brian McTague. “That was a first for me. We’re tied, with the ball, with the No. 14 team in the nation and eight seconds. You can’t ask for a better scenario for us with that situation.
“Unfortunately for us, a kid gets a hand on the ball and they throw in an 80-footer. We were about eight seconds away from us being the one that was dog piling on the floor. It is what it is, but I think we’re more shocked than anything. I’m proud of our guys. We could’ve easily folded when they got the lead, but we continued to battle for the rest of the game, taking and giving punches.”
For the majority of the fourth quarter the two teams exchanged blows, for the entire first half it was Glendale doing the punching.
The Falcons grabbed an early 23-9 lead, which ballooned to 33-13 – their largest of the game – in the second quarter.
Glendale had put together the perfect game script – line by line – to upset No. 14 Wasatch Academy.
The Falcons knocked down 10 first-half 3-point FG and led the Tigers 42-24 at the half behind 15 points from Monty Johal.
The first eight minutes went really well for us, we couldn’t have drawn it up any better,” said McTague. “The second quarter they did a better job defending us and we didn’t get as many open looks as the first quarter but them giving attention to Monty, Jordan and Jaxson allowed Winston Quinn and Dylan (Metivier) to get some open looks that they knocked down. We felt good going into halftime, but the third quarter came and the tide turned.”
Wasatch started the third frame with a 23-6 run. The Tigers even took the lead late in quarter before a triple by Johal made it 53-52 entering the fourth quarter.
Johal finished with six assists and five rebounds to go along with his 30 points. Tre Williams III scored a team-high 20 points, leading four Tigers in double figures.
“Considering the caliber of competition this was one of his better games,” said McTague of Johal. “He’s had games where he’s shot it better from the field, but not against five Division One guys. To see him be able to do that and to carry us with the rest of our guys struggling was huge. Monty put us on his back and when he’s on the floor you always have a chance to get a good look. We give him the ball and trust him to make plays and he’s done a great job of doing that for us and we wouldn’t hesitate to put him in that same situation again. He thrives on that challenge.
Glendale will take on Christ the King in the seventh place game on Saturday. The Royals lost to Ozark 69-61 in the consolation semifinals on Friday evening.
The Falcons have now seen the defending national champion in La Lumiere and lost on a wild, once-in-a-lifetime shot. Now they’re tasked with trying to overcome a basketball hangover and bounce back with a consolation win on Saturday.
Regardless, Friday’s game is not one that will be forgotten anytime soon.
“The bad part is that we lost, the bittersweet part is this game will be talked about for the next 30 years. People will ask if they were at that game when Wasatch beat Glendale on a 70-footer. We might hear about it every year but we’re part of that lure now. We had a chance to win the game and I’m proud of them for fighting until the end to give us that chance.”
