Senior point guard Zach Callender knew it was senior night for Atholton boys basketball. He also knew that, with the game on the line Thursday, he wanted the ball in his hands. Callender got his wish, and his Raiders got a win.
Callender hit one of two free throws after being fouled on a drive to the basket with two seconds left to give the Raiders a 41-40 victory over visiting Centennial. The win also ends a three-game losing streak for Atholton (12-3, 12-3), which fell in overtime to Wilde Lake in its last outing.
“We were in a similar situation with Wilde Lake, and we didn’t get it done,” said Callender, who led his team with 17 points. “In the timeout, I told [coach] I wanted the ball. My team had trust in me with the game on the line. We played like a family, and we got it done.”
With Centennial (10-7, 8-7) leading 39-37 with 1:49 left, the teams exchanged empty possessions before Atholton coach Jared Albert called a timeout with 49 seconds left. Out of the timeout, the Raiders found senior Mason Murray alone in the corner behind the 3-point line, and he buried a three to give Atholton a 40-39 the lead with 43 seconds left.
“I used to being relied on,” Murray said. “I got open, and my teammate found me with a good pass and I hit it. It felt good to contribute in a situation like that.”
On the ensuing possession, Centennial’s Tyler Longwell (19 points) was fouled, and he made one of two free throws to tie the score at 40 with 22 seconds left.
The Raiders advanced the ball down the court before Albert called a timeout with eight seconds left. Atholton got the ball to Callender, who drove the lane. He was fouled by Centennial’s Cam Grable with two seconds left.
After another timeout, Callender hit the first free throw before intentionally missing the second. Centennial’s Adrien Nyom got the rebound, but his shot from three-quarter court bounced off the top of the backboard to secure the win for the Raiders.
“I was just glad to send our seniors out with a win on senior night,” Albert said. “There’s a lot of emotion in that, and we started out a little flat with a lot of rushed shots, but we started to play better as the game went on. In the end, we put it in the hands of our senior point guard, and he did the rest.”
Callender hoped the win would put some demons to rest for the Raiders, who have been in a shooting slump recently.
“We were taking a lot of bad shots and not hitting the shots we should,” Callender said. “Most of the times we didn’t execute were on us. When we play together and play as a team, we have the potential to be great. They played more zone against us this time than they did in the first game [a 56-39 Atholton win early in the year], but we hung together and got the win.”
Atholton 41, Centennial 40
C – Longwell 17, Beck-Winter 9, Grable 8, Dedrick 2, Crabtree 3, Hwang 1. Totals: 13 13-20 40.
A – Callender 19, Morgan McCarty 2, Murray 11, Rabb 6, Shaheed 3. Totals: 14 8-11 41. Halftime: A, 22-20.
