Neshannock’s buzzer-beater ousts Wash High
Wash High’s Dequay Isbel dunks the ball after getting the rebound during the first half against Neshannock.
Wash High’s Markel Pulliam works his way around Neshannock’s Jake Rylot during the first half of the game at Chartiers Valley on Wednesday, February 18.
Wash High’s Jonathan Spina jumps for two points while Neshannock’s Ethan Moose guards during the first quarter of the game on Wednsday night.
BRIDGEVILLE – Three-point shooting has been Neshannock’s saving grace all season. Lancers head coach John Corey is always confident his team can make big shots with the game on the line.
During Monday’s practice, he drew up a play for Neshannock to use in the closing seconds when needing a basket to win a game.
His vision became a reality Wednesday night at Chartiers Valley High School.
Junior guard Jake Rylot hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer from the left wing to lift Neshannock over Washington, 71-69, for an upset in a WPIAL Class AA first-round playoff game.
The fifth-seeded Prexies’ season ends unexpectedly with a 15-8 record and the No. 12 Lancers (16-7) advance to the quarterfinals against No. 4 Greensburg Central Catholic.
Neshannock made 10 of 22 three-pointers, including four by Rylot, but none was as memorable as the one that sent Wash High’s players to the locker room with their heads hanging and wondering, what if?
“My coaches kept telling me the whole game to keep shooting and not get down on myself,” Rylot said. “They believed in me and I knocked it down. It was pretty exciting. My teammates were happy. We played a great game.”
The game featured 21 lead changes and the Prexies came only seconds away from advancing, but Corey’s strategy worked to perfection. Wash High junior Nate Swart, who finished with 20 points, was fouled on a putback with 8.4 seconds remaining and the score tied, 68-68. He made the first of two free throws before the Lancers collected the rebound on the second attempt. They took the ball to midcourt and Corey called a timeout. His players did not know what to expect, but a play created two days before was not the first on their minds.
Junior guard Jim Powers collected the inbounds pass with 4.7 left, quickly dribbled to the top of the key and passed to Rylot, whose shot went through the net as the buzzer sounded.
The Lancers’ players mobbed Rylot as the Prexies’ players walked back toward their bench in disbelief.
“We put ourselves in a predicament, so we wanted to make them make a difficult shot,” Wash High head coach Ron Faust said. “We didn’t want them to make a layup. They sure didn’t. I give them credit for hitting the shots. That wasn’t an easy shot at the end of the game. If it comes down to that, and that’s what somebody has to hit, I think we did a decent job then.”
The Prexies led by as many as six points early in the fourth quarter, but the Lancers used a heavy dose of 6-5 swingman Ethan Moose, who scored eight of his team-high 21 points in the fourth quarter. Powers added 16 points for Neshannock.
Wash High made its first 13 free throws before missing four in the final three minutes. After trailing throughout the quarter, Neshannock tied the score with 2:03 remaining on a putback by Moose, but Matt Popeck gave Wash High the lead again on pull-up jumper.
Powers tied the score, 68-68, before Swart’s free throw.
“There were a couple keys for us to beat a very good Washington team,” Corey said. “I told my staff we had to make at least seven threes and we had to find a way to contain all of their scorers. We thought (Moose) would need 25 and 15. He didn’t get there, but the rest of the guys helped out.”
The Prexies opened the game on a 12-4 run behind Jonathan Spina’s six free throws, but the Lancers closed out the quarter on a 14-2 run. Neshannock then grabbed the lead with a three-pointer by Powers midway through the second quarter, but Wash High guard Markel Pulliam scored 12 of his game-high 22 points in the second quarter to give the Prexies a 35-30 lead at halftime.
Wash High led by as many as nine points in the third quarter, but the Lancers fired back using Moose, who was held to just three first-half points. He mixed an inside game with the skill of a guard, penetrating the Prexies’ man-to-man defense.
There were five lead changes in the third quarter, but Prexies forward Zach Parr’s layup gave Wash high a one-point lead heading to the final eight minutes.
“We knew it was going to be that kind of game and that it could come down to the last possession because they are a very good basketball team,” Faust said. “If they shoot the ball like that, they are going to give a lot of people fits, and they have more than one person who can do it.”
Wash High continued to battle through a multitude of defensive looks by the Lancers, including a half-court trap, and 1-2-2 and 2-3 zones, but in the end, Rylot’s shot and minor miscues cost Wash High.
“The effort was absolutely there. It’s a shame that we lost it,” Faust said. “We all are disappointed because we were looking forward to getting on a bit of a run. I felt we got better as time went by. The young guys have to build on this, but I feel bad for the seniors. They did a nice job on the stretch to get everybody ready to play for us.”