With 6 seconds left and the score tied 50-50 in a Nassau AA playoff between the Jericho Jayhawks and the Bethpage Golden Eagles on Thursday, Feb. 19, Jericho inbounded the ball to junior guard Casey Deutsch and let him go to work. Deutsch calmly dribbled the ball just past half court and launched a deep three.
Time seemed to shift into slow motion and the packed gym fell silent as Deutsch’s shot arced high through the air before banking off the glass and into the net at the buzzer.
The Jayhawks and their home crowd erupted while a stunned Bethpage squad stood by with their comeback cut short.
“That’s in my range,” Deutsch said with a smile. “So I let it fly.”
Deutsch’s from-the-logo game-winner capped his game-high 25 points scored through a varied arsenal of contested threes, midrange jumpers, and strong drives.
But before his heroics, Jericho nearly let this one slip away.
After a tightly contested first-half filled with lead changes, Bethpage took a 24-23 edge into the break.
Jericho emerged from the locker room with renewed energy and quickly seized control.
A three-pointer by junior guard Suvir Mohan sparked a run, followed by a reverse layup from senior co-captain Max Spector, extending their lead to six. Deutsch then drained a three to put Jericho up 39-31 at the end of the third.
Senior forward Andy Chen opened the fourth with a bucket in the lane to give the Jayhawks a double-digit lead, 41-31, and what appeared to be a firm grip on the game.
Source: LI Press
