Jack McLane wasn’t sure if the biggest shot of his career counted.
As the clock wound down Tuesday night, McLane was situated on the left baseline, his West Genesee boys basketball team tied with undefeated, state Class AA no. 9-ranked Corcoran.
McLane’s original plan was to screen for teammate Will Amica, who was driving up the middle of the court. But on the way to the basket, Amica lost the ball, and it bounced to McLane.
“I just put it up and shot,” said McLane.
Whether the shot came after the clock hit 0:00, or beat the buzzer, was a matter of judgment. But it swished, the officials ruled it good – and McLane was mobbed by players and students celebrating a 65-63 victory.
This ending – glorious and affirming, for the Wildcats, controversial and bitter for the Cougars – only added to the memorable nature of both games between these two sides, with a real possibility that a third encounter could take place with the Section III title at stake.
What made it more impressive, from WG’s perspective, was that it came just one day after it took a 76-61 loss at Baldwinsville, and this was the Wildcats’ third game in four nights.
WG had pushed Corcoran to overtime the first time these teams met Jan. 8, and would make the rematch just as memorable, even after the Cougars held them without a field goal for the last five-plus minutes of the first half and led 37-29 at the break.
Amica, who fouled out of that first meeting with Corcoran before it went to OT, sparked the Wildcats’ revival in the third quarter, netting 10 points in that frame as, five different times, WG pulled within a point, yet could not move in front.
Through a tense fourth quarter, the Wildcats’ chase continued until Lucas Sutherland hit a driving lay-up with 1:40 left to give his side a 60-59 lead, setting up a back-and-forth final sequence.
D.J. Haynes’ jumper briefly put Corcoran back in front, but McLane’s rebound basket regained the Wildcats’ one-point advantage. A miss on the other end led to a series of fouls by the Cougars.
With 15.1 seconds left, Amica made one of two free throws. Down 63-61, Corcoran had the ball, and De’Jour Reaves, who led his side with 21 points, drove past WG’s defenders to convert the tying basket.
Instead of another overtime, though, McLane delivered a season-defining shot – and on his Senior Night, which only made it sweeter for him and his Wildcats teammates.
Overall, McLane had 13 points, just behind Amica, who had 17 points, and Sutherland, who got 14 points. Kam Jones got nine points and Christian Rossi finished with eight points.
All of this followed the loss at Baldwinsville, a game originally set for Jan. 31, but then pushed back by a weather postponement.
With the Bees dead-set on avenging a 77-59 defeat to the Wildcats in the Zebra Classic on Jan. 13, things turned sour early for WG, who could not contain B’ville’s attack throughout the first half.
By intermission, the Wildcats trailed 44-30, and it spent the rest of the game in catch-up mode, getting solid production from Amica, Sutherland (16 points each) and McLane (14 points), but nothing spectacular.
Meanwhile, the Bees had freshman J.J. Starling pour in 24 points and Jake Marshall finish with 20 points, and they got help, too, from forward Sunday Joshua, who finished with 14 points.
But any unpleasant feeling from that game vanished 24 hours later, and the Wildcats would not have a letdown, either, going to Henninger Friday and battling its way past the Black Knights 80-76.
With a 7-11 record entering the game, Henninger still needed to beat WG or Rome Free Academy next Monday to earn a sectional playoff berth, and had played the Wildcats close in a 68-63 defeat back on Jan. 11.
This one was just as tight, the first half ending in a 36-36 draw, and little separation taking place in the second half as Jonah Alston (23 points) and Noreon Williams (15 points) led a valiant Henninger effort.
Only by going to the final minute did the Wildcats hang on, needing four players to score in double figures as it only made one 3-pointer all night. Sutherland earned 25 points, with Amica getting 19 points, John Benson stepping up to get 13 points and Jones earning 10 points. Adam Dudzinski contributed six points.
WG still had one more regular-season game left, Monday night at Utica Proctor, before the post-season and a great opportunity to end a 25-year sectional championship drought.
