Addie Sullivan caught Joslyn Policky's heave with 2.2 seconds left at Elkhorn High School.
The Blair sophomore took one dribble, turned away from the basket and two-hand passed the ball back to teammate Sophia Wrich, who shot it from closer to the midcourt line than the 3-point arc.
“It felt great off of my fingertips,” Tuesday's hero said.
Wrich sunk the buzzer-beating prayer, snapping the Bears' five-game losing streak with a 44-43 road win. The Antlers' Claire Nusimer sunk two free throws with 2.2 seconds left for a two-point lead, but coach Matt Aschoff's team improved to 13-8 with the shocking victory.
EHS' players left the floor with their hands on the heads.
“Well, at first, I was like, 'Oh my gosh, 2.2 (seconds),'” Sullivan said, recounting her thoughts on the game-closing situation her team found itself in. “But then I was like, '2.2. We've still got time.'”
Even so, Wrich did not expect to be the one taking the game-deciding shot once her teammate caught Policky's inbounds pass with just two ticks of the clock left.
“Oh, heck no,” she said.
And, yet, the BHS junior delivered the game-winner.
“You've just got to be shot-ready every time,” Wrich noted.
The Bear's long-range make was one of nine scored by Aschoff's squad. Claire Anderson (one), Leah Chance (two), Policky (one), Sullivan (one), Wirch (two) and Allison Hernandez (two) all made 3-pointers, while combining for just five 2s.
In fact, Policky — who scored a game-high 17 points — was the only BHS player to make a field goal attempt from within the arc. The junior scored nine first-half points and eight during the decisive fourth. She gave the Bears a 41-36 lead on an and-1 free throw with 1:46 remaining, but they still had to get creative down by a pair of free throws late.
Policky threw the long pass with just seconds left, Sullivan caught the ball and Wrich ended up with it for the game-winner. It was her team's first victory since Jan. 23.
“I think each game our effort has improved,” Sullivan said. “Playing as a team has been improving. So, I'm just excited to get our last game in before subdistricts.”
Blair plays at Class B No. 2 Elkhorn North on Feb. 16 before the B-5 Subdistrict Tournament on Feb. 20-21. It's first postseason opponent will be Schuyler or South Sioux City.
BLAIR BASKETBALL LINE SCORE
Tuesday
Blair 44, Elkhorn 43
BHS (13-8) 14 7 6 17 — 44
EHS (7-12) 10 8 12 13 — 43
Scoring: BHS — Joslyn Policky 17, Sophia Wrich 6, Leah Chance 6, Addie Sullivan 6, Allison Hernandez 6, Claire Anderson 3.
EHS — Kaelyn Andersen 11, Anna Janvrin 10, Claire Nusimer 8, Emerson Karstens 5, Lauren Buddecke 4, Makailey Beekman 3, Emma Hague 2.
