Smith, Lions stun Falcons with buzzer beater
Mar. 4—JACKSON — Zach Shugars was nearly the hero again, but Cam Smith stole the spotlight.
Smith drained a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Biggersville a wild 47-46 win over Ingomar in the Class 1A state championship game on Thursday at the Mississippi Coliseum.
Shugars, whose buzzer beater last year gave Ingomar its sixth state title, knocked down a 15-foot jumper with 3 seconds left for a 46-44 lead. The clock hit all zeroes, and the Falcons' bench emptied in celebration.
But Biggersville (24-4) had called timeout, and officials put 3 seconds back on the clock.
Dylan Rowsey's long inbounds pass appeared headed out of bounds, but Brooks Brand chased it down and saved it to Smith, who scooped up the ball on the right wing and buried the game winner.
"I didn't have time to think," said Smith, a 6-foot-7 senior. "Just make a play. I saw he overthrew it, I thought it was over. The ball came to me, and I shot it."
This is the third state title for Biggersville and first since 2013. That gold ball appeared all but won early in the fourth quarter, when the Lions built a 40-28 lead.
But Ingomar (29-6) stormed back behind the play of Shugars and fellow senior Tyson Smithey. A steal and layup by Smithey made it 44-41, and then a Biggersville turnover led to a Shugars 3-pointer to tie the game at 44-44 with 1:44 to go.
A steal by Darwin Beard set up Shugars' near heroics. Ingomar coach Jonathan Ashley took issue with the officials putting 3 seconds on the clock after the go-ahead bucket.
"Incompetence in a lot of levels. There's no way there was 3 seconds left in the game when they called timeout," Ashley said. "...Those three dudes struggled all night, so that's not surprising."
Smith finished with 15 points on 6 of 8 shooting. The Falkner transfer mainly plays in the post, but his game winner was no fluke.
"That shot he made, that ain't something he just lucked in," Biggersville coach Cliff Little said. "The kid can shoot."
Brand led the Lions with 16 points. He also had three steals, but his biggest play was saving that inbounds pass in to Smith.
"I thought it was going out of bounds, and Brooks just gave it all he's got, which he always does," Little said.
Shugars led Ingomar with 23 points, while Smithey had 10.
Three-Pointers
Turning Point: Smith's 3-pointer capped one of the wildest finishes in Big House history.
Point Maker: Brand made 8 of 13 shots from the field.
Talking Point: "Everybody was down. I kept telling my teammates, 'Let's go. It's not over. Three seconds left.'" — Smith
