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A pair of buzzer-beating buckets in the first two-rounds of the 2016 Division State Championship has propelled the No. 18-seed Superior boys’ basketball team to the quarterfinals of the state tournament, three wins away from perhaps at one-time an unthinkable state championship.
The Panthers have been giant killers of late and one of the hottest team in any division throughout the postseason. They’ve also been the cardiac kids with a number of nail-biting plays and finishes over the last two weeks.
“Basketball is one of those sports that if you’re playing as a team, working hard on defense, crashing the boards, and making shots when you need to you can be in every game, as we’ve proven,” Superior head coach Ryan Palmer told the Superior Sun. “I think we can compete with every team in the state.”
The most recent exhilarating finish occurred in the first round of the state tournament last Friday night against No. 14-seed Arizona Charter, when junior Jalon Murray’s layup at the buzzer completed a comeback 39 – 37 win and advanced the Panthers to the second round.
The Panthers, who trailed for most of the game, pulled of the first of what turned out to be two upset victories in Prescott Valley over the weekend thanks to Murray’s heroics.
Murray finished with a double-double – 10 points, 10 rebounds – and was one of three Panthers to score in double figures in the win. Marco Bueno and Jesse Lopez each scored a team-high 11 points. Austin Navarrette contributed with five rebounds and a team-high two steals.
A 17-point second-half deficit in the Panthers’ second-round game last Saturday against No. 2-seed The Gregory School would seemingly signal the end for most teams but not the Panthers, especially recently.
After pulling upsets in two of their last three games (San Carlos and Arizona Charter), the Panthers had The Gregory School right where they wanted them at the end of the third quarter, trailing by 17 points.
The Panthers closed within five points with 20 seconds remaining in the game and the Hawks in possession of the ball, but Superior stole the inbounds pass and converted a layup to make it a three-point game with only six seconds left.
The Hawks were fouled on the next play and subsequently missed the front end of a one-and-one. Superior grabbed the rebound and raced the length of the court before junior Nicolaus Cruz drilled a three-pointer at the buzzer to send the game overtime.
“There’s a lot going against us at that point,” Palmer answered when asked what he said to his team to spark the improbable comeback. “But our kids buckled down, our defense improved, we started working better together, and we were making some shots we missed earlier.”
The Panthers, without leading scorer Marcos Bueno for the entire overtime and Austin Navarrette for the last few minutes of OT, pulled off their third upset victory in their last four games, defeating the Hawks to advance to this week’s quarterfinals, 61 – 60.
“It was a great team effort for the upset win,” Palmer said.
The Panthers will face No. 7-seed Red Mesa on Thursday, Feb. 25 at the Prescott Valley Event Center in Prescott Valley. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. With a win, Superior would take on the winner between No. 3 San Carlos and No. 6 Santa Cruz Valley on Saturday.
What was one unthinkable is now very much conceivable and even possible.
Go Panthers!
Visit www.azpreps365.com for complete bracket results and game information.
Andrew Luberda began writing for Copper Area News Publishers (CANP) in February 2013 after working 15 years in Healthcare Financial Management. Andy covers sports for 11 high schools. His stories are published in Copper Basin News, San Manuel Miner and Superior Sun, in addition to the San Tan Valley Daily PRSS and CopperArea websites. Additionally, he has written human interest stories and business profiles. In May 2012, he earned an AAS in Sports Management at Central Arizona College before graduating with a BS in Communication from Arizona State University in 2014. He and his wife, Kelli, have three sons – AJ, Kyle, and Kade.
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