The highlight of last week’s NBA schedule was the match-up of Kobe Bryant vs Lebron James. But high school basketball fans needed look no further than Lee-Davis to see such excitement. For all of the buzzer-beater shots that Bryant has displayed throughout his professional career, Lee-Davis’ Jordan Boze may have done him one better on the high school level. Prehaps inspired by the pros, in back-to-back rivalry games two days apart, Boze hit 3-pointers at the buzzer to defeat Patrick Henry (66-65) and Hanover (55-54).

  “I did actually watch the Lebron-Kobe game a few nights ago,” Boze said.
  Against Hanover, Boze finished the night with 22 points on 5-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc, including 4-of-4 in the first half.

  “That’s just crazy,” Boze said. “It’s probably the best week I’ve had playing basketball in my life.”

  “I hate for this week to end for him because you don’t get one of those in a lifetime and he’s gotten two in one week,” said Lee-Davis coach Tripp Metzger. “It’s amazing what he’s doing. He’s feeling it right now.”

  Though they led for nearly the entire game against Hanover, Lee-Davis suddenly found themselves trailing in the final seconds. Leading 52-49 with 1:18 to play, the C-feds could only watch as Hanover’s Justin Flemming drove inside to draw defenders then dished out to a wide open Greg Lewis (20 points) on the left wing for a three to tie the game.

  Lewis then came up with a loose ball near mid court and drove in for a shot but it was well defended by the C-feds Justin Naumann. However Hawks’ senior Danny Trsic grabbed the rebound and scored to put Hanover on top 54-52 with :10.3 seconds to play. It was the Hawks’ first lead since opening the game 2-0.

  Lee-Davis coach Tripp Metzger quickly called a timeout to set up a play for his team. At Patrick Henry two nights earlier and also trailing by two, Metzger step up a play to specifically go for the win with Boze being one of the options. Against Hanover, Metzger used a variation to first go for the tie.

  “We had Chris (Cook) bring it up, keep the ball in his hand to see if he could create something,” Metzger said. If Cook could not find a shot he was to pass off to Boze on the wing who would then look to dump the ball inside to Naumann.

  But Metzger also gave Boze an option. “I told Boze if you feel it shoot it,” he said.

  Boze felt it.

  With Hanover’s Jerel Jennings diving in to defend the shot, Boze launched a three that swished through the net giving the C-feds a 55-54 lead with :01.4 seconds to play.

  “That was a great shot by that young man from the corner,” said Hanover head coach Troy Manns. “He shot the ball well all night. We did a poor job defending him in the first half a great job in the second half. He makes one three but the one three he made counted for all the marbles.”

  As the Lee-Davis gymnasium erupted and players celebrated, Lewis made a heads-up play for the Hawks by quickly inbounding the ball and racing up the floor. From just past mid-court Lewis launched a prayer that swished through but the buzzer had already sounded. Ironically, Lewis did exactly the same in a one-point hone loss to Lee-Davis three weeks earlier.

  “A lot of my assistants didn’t see it because they were celebrating with the kids but I saw the ball go in and luckily I saw the ref blowing it off,” Metzger said. “Greg Lewis…let’s extend the court next year or something.”

  “I don’t know what Greg Lewis does, he must practice those things because both times right when the buzzer goes off he hits a shot,” Cook said. “We’re just thankful that the game’s not 32 minutes and two seconds because we would have taken two losses to Hanover.”

  The dramatic Lee-Davis win overshadowed a remarkable comeback by Hanover, which trailed by 12 at the half due poor shooting and a hot hand from the C-feds.

  After Hanover grabbed a 2-0 lead, Boze picked up where he left off at Patrick Henry where he burned the Patriots on trio of 3-pointers. Over the span of a minute and a half against the Hawks, Boze connected on three consecutive 3-pointers to give Lee-Davis a 9-2 lead.

  Trsic scored to start the second quarter, pulling Hanover within three, 13-10 but Lee-Davis answered. Justin Naumann scored on consecutive put-back baskets then it was Boze off assists from Joey Labons and Cook to put the C-feds up 21-10 less than five minutes before the half.

  Trsic, who was the only Hawk to score in the second, made two more shots for Hanover but then in was Boze again on a three from the right wing, his fourth in the half, for a 26-14 Lee-Davis lead heading into the locker room.

  In the second half the offenses switched roles and it was Hanover who was on fire and Lee-Davis cold.

  “I told the guys at halftime they’re going to make a run,” Metzger said. “They were cold in the first half and they’re a good shooting team so you know they’re going to put some balls in the bucket sooner or later. They found the right guys there in the third and the fourth quarter to get them back in the game. And you knew with a rivalry game that they were going to fight back.”
  The Hawks scored six straight to open the half, capped by a steal and dunk from Lewis that pulled Hanover within six and forced a Lee-Davis timeout.

  Though Cook momentarily stopped the bleeding with a steal and layup of his own, Hanover went on a 9-1 run to knot the game at 29 with 3:20 to go in the third.

  Boze connected on a short jumper to put the C-feds back on top and the margin moved to five on a free throw from Cook a jumper for Labons.

  Trailing 40-35 heading into the fourth, Lewis scored on a baseline drive and Russell Lyons added two off an assist from Sam Rogers to pull Hanover within one, 40-39.

  With 4:34 to play, Cook widened the margin to 44-41 on a circus shot, driving into the post and picking up a foul from Lyons.

  It appeared Lee-Davis had weathered the storm when Cook scored on back-to-back run-outs for a 50-43 lead at the three minute mark.

  But Lewis connected on a three from the right wing then turned a C-fed turnover into a plus-one field goal to trim the margin to one.

  Lee-Davis’ Dustin Abele put the C-feds up 52-49 on a put-back of a miss from Cook to set up the final dramatics.

  For Hanover there was a silver lining in the loss. “A lot of our young guys stepped up,” Manns said. “Guys who are not normally aggressive, they grew tonight as basketball players and the only way you get better is to be put in the fire and perform and our guys, they did that. The second half they really did that.”