ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. — It took three buzzer-beaters to determine the Section 6AAA championship Thursday night, taking the term "March Madness" to a whole new level.
"That is the wildest finish I've been apart of. Fortunately, we ended up on the good side of that," said Orono head coach Barry Wohler.
Orono's Nolan Groves heaved a shot from half-court as time expired in double overtime to send the Spartans to the state tournament.
"From my point of view, it's like way right, I did not think it was going to go in, but I can't really remember the moment, it was just like tunnel vision," said Groves, a junior guard. "Next thing I know, the ball went in and there's people all around me and I'm getting crushed against the wall."
Orono was facing an 84-83 deficit when Groves launched a shot at the buzzer. With the season on the line, the ball banked off the backboard and dropped through, punching the Spartans' ticket to Class AAA state boys basketball tournament with an 86-84 win over Benilde-St. Margaret's.
"I was on the bus on the ride back, and a teammate was like, 'Dude, this is literally a childhood dream.' So I think everybody who plays basketball growing up, always does that and envisions that in their head — hitting the game winner — and it's kind of a dream come true," said Groves.
But that wasn't the only buzzer-beater on the night.
Benilde-St. Margaret's Jaleel Donley drained a deep three-pointer at the end of regulation to send the game into an extra session. The Red Knights had less than three ticks left when they in-bounded the ball from beneath their basket. Jalen Wilson took the in-bound pass, dribbled once and found Donley, who was well beyond the arc when he launched the shot.
"My assistant coaches wanted to foul and put him on the line, which percentages play that way, and I nixed that, and that went well," joked Wohler.
"He put it up, and I was like, no way, and sure enough, he makes it," said Groves.
The hometown fans flooded the court, but there was still more basketball to be played.
In overtime, Orono's Riley Nelson found an open Brady Wooley underneath the hoop in the closing seconds to send the game to a second overtime.
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