Wylie East senior Praise Olufemi, pictured in previous action, posted a putback as time expired to lift the Raiders to a win over Lakeview Centennial on Tuesday, Jan. 13. Photo by Elijah Kloepping / C&S Media
By Art Stricklin
Wylie East senior Praise Olufemi scored on a putback as time expired to lift the Raiders to a thrilling 49-47 victory over Lakeview Centennial on Tuesday, Jan. 13, in District 9-6A action.
With the score tied at 47 and overtime looming, the Raiders got three shots at the basket. A missed 3-pointer and a missed putback followed before the ball came out to Olufemi, who calmly tipped it in as the buzzer sounded.
The basket sparked a wild celebration by Wylie East and its large group of visiting fans, with a mob scene on the court for Olufemi, who played the hero for his team in a key district boys contest.
“That was championship-quality play and championship-quality grit and effort,” head coach Kortney Smith said. “We played hard when it counted, and that’s all that mattered for the win.”
Wylie East controlled the game for the first three quarters, but Lakeview Centennial came back in the fourth quarter and briefly took a 42-40 lead with 3:52 remaining.
Sharp-shooting guard Ayden Biscarro-Davila answered by hitting his fifth 3-pointer of the night to give Wylie East a 47-44 lead with one minute left in regulation. Lakeview Centennial responded with a 3-pointer of its own with 47 seconds remaining, setting up the dramatic finish.
Wylie East improved to 4-4 in district play and 9-8 overall. Lakeview Centennial fell to 3-3 in district play and 13-9 overall.
“When we miss a 3-pointer but get the rebound, we just call that a pass,” Smith joked. “We had a good look and it didn’t go in. We got the rebound and missed again, but he made the shot when it counted. He’s done that before — this isn’t the first time.”
Biscarro-Davila led all scorers with 19 points. Olufemi and Preston Samuels each added 10.
“The kids played hard and didn’t panic down the stretch,” Smith said. “We’ve really grown as a team and really matured.”
Before the final-minute drama, the game wasn’t particularly close. The third quarter summed up Wylie East’s dominance as the Raiders forced back-to-back Lakeview Centennial turnovers and closed the next possession with another 3-pointer, this one by Brayden Doolan, to take a 38-21 lead with 4:13 left in the period, forcing another Patriots timeout.
Wylie East built its early lead behind the long-range shooting of Biscarro-Davila, who knocked down three 3-pointers and scored 11 points in the first half.
The Raiders led 12-7 after the first quarter and extended their advantage to 26-16 with 2:07 left in the second quarter on another Biscarro-Davila 3-pointer.
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