Catholic Central vs. Seven Hills
Shawnee vs. Goshen
Boy rescued from tree
D-II Regional Semifinal Watterson 45, Graham 44 OT
Graham falls at buzzer
Watterson's Grabosky nails 3-pointer to end No. 1 Falcons' tourney run
Friday, March 20, 2009
Chris Grabosky of Columbus Bishop Watterson reacts after his last-second, 3-point shot led to a 45-44 win in overtime over Graham in a Division II regional semifinal game at the Cintas Center on Thursday, March 19. CINCINNATI — Chris Grabosky took the inbounds pass at the top of the 3-point arc, turned and lofted a shot.
The Columbus Bishop Watterson High School senior had drained two 3-pointers in regulation, so it was no surprise he was also shooting the ball at the end of overtime.
Grabosky's release was good, his arc was perfect and it was no surprise the ball fell through the basket, touching nothing but the net.
What was a surprise is that buzzer-beating, game-winning shot ended the Graham High School boys basketball team's perfect season, 45-44, in a Division II, Region 8 semifinal on Thursday, March 19, at Xavier University's Cintas Center.
The season is over for the Falcons (24-1), the defending regional champions. The 2009 state poll champions were held to their lowest point total of the season after shooting 15-of-42 from the field (35.7 percent).
Grabosky's trey came after Graham senior Josh Schuler put the Falcons up 44-42 on an 8-foot runner with seven seconds left. The Eagles (15-10) called two timeouts to set up their final shot.
"When it comes down to it you've gotta get a stop. And we didn't get a stop," Graham head coach Brook Cupps said.
The loss overshadowed the Falcons' heroic second-half effort after they trailed by as many as 15 points in the first half.
Graham took its first lead at 31-28 on a 3-pointer from Nick VanHoose with 2:36 left in the third quarter, the end of a 12-0 run.
"I thought the kids came out with more intensity and were more aggressive in the second half," Cupps said.
The Falcons led 40-36 in the fourth quarter after a four-point burst from Schuler (14 points).
But that four-point lead wouldn't last. Watterson tied the game with 54 seconds left, and Graham was called for a player control foul with 14.7 seconds left. Watterson missed two chances for the win.
In overtime, Graham junior Ethan Ward put the Falcons up 42-40 with two free throws. Watterson tied it with one minute left, leading to Schuler's final basket.
Graham missed two front ends of a 1-and-1 in overtime and at the end of regulation. Those misses, coupled with three turnovers in overtime, allowed the Eagles to stay in the game.
"We didn't deserve to win," Cupps said. "You can't do those things at this level or you're not going to win basketball games."
