The boys basketball team (21–5) defeated the Richard Montgomery Rockets (16–11) last night on a miracle buzzer-beater to win the state semifinals.
The first quarter looked good for the Vikes, as they held a strong lead, going up 24–10. Whitman was playing strong on both ends of the court, as all their starters had at least one basket in the quarter. During the second quarter, Whitman stayed on top even though RM started to build momentum as the game went into halftime 33–25.
Whitman continued dominating the third quarter with solid offensive plays and intense defense. With a 14-point lead, the Vikings thought they secured their ticket to the finals. But in the last four minutes, the Rockets came out to fight. RM went on a 16-point run and did not allow a Whitman basket during their comeback. With 20 seconds left, junior Evan Brown secured possession, driving to the basket, and was called for a charging foul on a basket that he made. This was his fifth foul, ejecting him from the game. Coach Chris Lun was forced to make a substitution, where he put in sophomore Will Shapiro. In the last five seconds, the Rockets had a one-point lead at 65–64. Then Whitman committed an intentional foul to send Rockets’ sophomore Tavares Vaughn-Cooper to the free-throw line. Vaughn-Cooper made one of his two free throws, extending their lead to two. Junior Titian Derosa rebounded the missed free throw and chucked the ball down the court to Shapiro. He took his chance with an off-balance three from the right wing. The shot went up just as the buzzer sounded and fell into the basket, securing the win for the Vikes with a score of 67–66.
Three of the Vikings’ starters stood out offensively, each hitting double digits in points. Junior Sean Curran emerged as the night’s leading scorer with 16 points, 14 of which came from the first and third quarters. Senior captain Thomas Farrell, a consistent three-point specialist for the Vikes, added 14 points of his own to the scoreboard. Brown, another critical scorer for the Vikes, put up 13 more points, eight of which came in the Vikes’ dominant third-quarter run.
Even though Shapiro was called in after Brown’s ejection, he made his name known. Shapiro’s game-winning three-pointer sealed the victory for the Vikes. His only points of the night came from this incredible buzzer beater, a testament to his ability to rise to the occasion.
“There wasn’t much time to think. As soon as [Derosa] got me the ball, I knew I had to get it up. My release felt good and I just hoped it fell,” Shapiro said. “I knew the stakes and the shot would make or break the game.”
Shapiro was right — his release was good, and it fell. Thanks to his game-winning shot, the Vikes will face the Fredrick Cadets (23–4) on Saturday at 8 p.m. at the University of Maryland’s Xfinity Center for the 4A state championship. Tune into The Pressbox for live play-by-play coverage of the game.
