Cinderella tried on a glass slipper and it fit, creating a story of a lifetime.
Then came
another tale of wonder on Friday night (March 5) for Xavier Prep’s basketball
team.
Mia Davis
tried on a pair of glass sneakers and they fit, helping to give her and Gator
Nation a magical memory that won’t soon be forgotten. She used the glass
backboard to hit the winning three-point shot for a 62-60 Xavier victory.
After Nicole
Smith's two free throws gave visiting Gilbert Perry a 60-59 lead with three seconds remaining in
regulation, Xavier coach Jennifer Gillom called timeout after her team brought
the ball quickly past midcourt. The clock had run down to :01, but officials
put one second back on.
When play
resumed, the ball was inbounded to Tori Saucedo. Finding no opportunity to put
up a shot, she fired the ball over to Davis on the left. Davis had no time to
move closer, so she let the ball fly.
It went off
the glass and in to give the Gators their second win over Perry this season.
Pandemonium
broke out this time as Gillom and the Gators rushed the Activity Center floor.
The Perry players stood in stunned silence, because they, too, had played well
enough to win.
“What a win
that was. That was crazy,’’ Gillom said.
With the 6A
Conference state tournament starting on Tuesday (March 9), Gillom said that “we
needed this type of (pressure) game.’’
She said the
last play was to go to Saucedo, a senior, or Davis, a sophomore, and was happy
that Saucedo was able to get the ball to Davis so quickly.
Davis had
used the glass for another three earlier in the game, scoring Xavier’s first
points of the third quarter. She finished with 17 points, six rebounds and five
assists.
One of her
assists should go on a highlight reel. Davis drove toward the basket and dished
the ball, seemingly blindly, off to freshman Sarah Miller for the bucket.
Miller finished with a team-high 24 points and four steals.
Perry
trailed just 33-32 at halftime and stayed within striking distance thanks to
the outstanding play of sophomore forward/post Khamil Pierre, who scored nine
of her team’s 11 points in the third quarter. She finished with 34 points.
The Pumas
kept battling and pulled ahead 56-55 on a 3-pointer by Leah Davis with 1:19
left.
Back-to-back
baskets by Miller allowed Xavier to take a 59-58 lead with about 15 seconds
left, setting up the two free throws by Smith and the ultimate shot by Davis.
For Xavier,
junior forward Toni Garcia provided a big lift off the bench with four points,
seven rebounds and a pair of blocked shots.
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