Simcoe Reformer: Chambers Hits Buzzer Beater to Win it for Lakers (NSSAA)

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JEFF DERTINGER Simcoe Reformer

Down by two and the clock ticking:

9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1... the three-point shot goes up...0...

Count it.

Shouts of amazement went up simultaneously throughout the gymnasium and the Port Dover Lakers senior boys basketball team erupted into a jumping, shouting mass on the court as the three by Daryl Chambers gave Port Dover a 46-45 victory over the Simcoe Sabres last night at SCS.

"I didn't think, there was no time to," a smiling Chambers said afterwards. "When it went in I didn't even know what to do with myself. It was surreal."

It was a great finish to a not-exactly-great game, but one that was certainly competitive and hard fought from the first whistle to the last. Both teams had moments when it all came together, as well as moments where it all fell apart.

Following an evenly played, defensive first quarter, Lightning fast Sam Baskerville and smooth Connor Pettersen created turnovers and finished fast-break opportunities in the second to stake Simcoe out to a 21-14 lead at halftime.

The teams traded points early in the third with Simcoe leading 28-21 when the momentum switched completely. Lakers point guard, captain, and all-around leader Cody Mummery took over the game at that point, sinking lay-ups, three-pointers and foul shots. The Port Dover defence overwhelmed the Sabres and completely shut them down. By the end of the third it was the Lakers leading 36-30.

The score reached 40-30 before the momentum flipped yet again. The Sabres went on a 14-1 run and Mummery fouled out of the game, making the score 44-41 Simcoe with 25 seconds to play.

Following an in-bounds play, the Lakers moved the ball around and hit a two-pointer with 15.6 seconds left to pull within one. They then fouled Baskerville to put him on the line with 9.2 seconds on the clock. Baskerville missed the first shot but sunk the second, setting up the crazy finish.

Port Dover's Travis Beemer got the ball and pushed it up the court quickly. Beemer made a pass and got one back, but wasn't in three-point range. He quickly made a shovel pass to Chambers, who faked off a defender before launching his shot. The ball bounced off the backboard just as the buzzer went and dropped through the mesh.

"When he made that shot, man, words can't describe moments like that," said Mummery, who finished with at least 20 points (individual scoring was not recorded on the official gamesheet). "We made mistakes on the floor, they made mistakes, but hey, that's high school basketball."

The win pushes Port Dover's record to 1-1, while the Sabres fall to 0-2 on the young season.

"It sucks, no doubt about that," said Simcoe's Kaleb Matchke, who was a standout for Simcoe, particularly during their fourth-quarter comeback. "It feels pretty bad to lose on a last-second shot, but that was two pretty good teams battling hard out there. We know the wins are coming."

Lakers coach Adam Mummery said his team has to get off to better starts, but couldn't be happier about the way they continue to compete.

"That showed me a lot at the end, because Cody wasn't on the floor and it was up to the rest of the team to keep working and grab that win," he said.

In the junior game, the Simcoe Sabres notched a 53-32 victory. The score was just 34-27 at the end of the third quarter, but the inside rebounding and scoring of Kevin Allemang (14 points) and outside shooting of Tommy Tran (15) and Brandon Reaney (7) was too much for Port Dover in the fourth.

Lucas Martin led the Lakers with 18 points, while Tim Peters poured in 11.

* In Waterford, the senior Wolves improved their record to 2-0 with a 58-42 win over Holy Trinity. Mike Couperus had 18 points, Paul Malcolm had 17 and Gary Hill-Stone had 12 for Waterford. Kevin Macdonald scored 14 for the 1-1 Titans, while Josh Johnson finished with nine points

In the junior game, Holy Trinity came out ahead 45-35. Justin Hill and Dylan McKenzie each had 12 points for the Titans, while the Wolves were paced by Blair McKay with 13.