The Amundsen Vikings boys basketball team spent most of the game behind the Schurz Bulldogs, but junior guard Nick Flower put the Vikings ahead when it mattered most.
The Vikings (17-8, 8-1) defeated the Bulldogs buy a score of 63-61 Friday at Schurz thanks to an 8-foot shot from the left side at the buzzer by Flower to end the game. The Vikings were down by as much as 10 points in the third quarter, but the momentum shifted in their favor as Flower led them to an 8-2 run to put them within 4.
“I actually kind of lost my confidence during the game,” said Flower. “I was not playing well. But when we started getting stops, I realized I had to pick up my defense and my offense and just play ball.”
Flower finished the evening with 31 points for the Vikings, while senior guards Vince Rivera (12 points) and Charles Carter (9 points) also had some key shots in the second half to help the Vikings’ comeback. For Schurz, center David Marron led the team with 15 points, while guard Deven Weathers notched 11.
With 1:30 left in the game, senior center/power forward Sam Mensah got fouled as he scored his basket; and would make both free-throws to tie the game at 59. With 41 seconds left and the score tied at 61, Amundsen got the stop they needed and would run their final play of the game; and Flower felt no pressure as he put up the game-winning shot for the Vikings.
“I actually cleared my mind,” he said. “So everything just came to me.”
Amundsen head coach John Barnes was able to switch out his offensive players for his defensive players late in the game in order to get the key stops to keep the score close, and it worked well for the Vikings.
“It worked out great,” said Barnes. “with 13 seconds to go, we got our offensive group out there (after a traveling call on Schurz), and we were just running our stuff. (Schurz) kind of switched on the screen and didn’t quite cover (Flower), and he got an open shot and knocked it down.”
Barnes was happy to get the big road win against a Schurz team that finished in the upper half of the Red this season.
“This is a very good Schuz team,” he said. “For a Blue team (like us) to come in and beat a team that finished in the top half of the red at their place, we’re really happy with this win.”
Related posts:
- Amundsen men refuse to quit; lose close game to Schurz
- Amundsen defeats St. Benedict in OT
- Amundsen moves up to 4A
- Schurz comes from behind to take first win, 13-12
