NEWBURYPORT — When the final potential game-tying 3-pointer hit off the back iron, and the buzzer sounded as it fell to the court, the sense of both relief and pride on the Newburyport sideline couldn’t be measured.
And to be clear … we’re talking about the THIRD final potential game-tying 3-pointer of the night.
Not the one that Zahara Wilson of Springfield International hit a millisecond after her coach had called a timeout with 2.2 seconds left in regulation. Then not the SECOND one she hit after said timeout, when the 8th-grader — not a typo — completed her team’s epic fourth-quarter comeback to tie Thursday’s Division 3 first round game at 57-57 and send it into overtime.
We’re talking about the third attempt at the end of OT.
The sophomore tandem of Ava Bailey and Morgan Rouba had once again given No. 16 Newburyport a three-point lead with 10 seconds left in the extra frame. Wilson of course got the call again for the No. 17 Bulldogs, but she apparently had used up all of her magic at the end of regulation. The final, final shot wasn’t meant to be, and the Clippers were able to hold on for the dramatic, 67-64, victory in overtime to punch their ticket back to the Division 3 Round of 16.
“Our team has been all over the place the past couple of days, but I’m really proud of how we came through,” said senior captain Laney Schwab. “We’ve become so close this year as a team, just bonding, and we’ve made such an effort to create a positive team culture. And I think that just the support from everyone leading up to that moment was so positive. Once we won, it felt like we had all won together.”
It certainly has been a whirlwind.
Assistant coach Beth Castantini, a Newburyport alum and 1,000-point scorer with the program, has very recently taken over coaching the team for the remainder of the season. Head coach Karen Grutchfield, who had an 85-35 record in this her sixth season at the helm, is no longer with the team this year.
So there was that for the Clippers to handle.
Then as the final moments of regulation ticked away, they had to watch as a once-comfortable double digit lead evaporated in a blink. Olivia Foley (20 pts, 14 rebs), Rouba (12 pts), Bailey (11 pts) and Caitlin Downey (8 pts) helped to have the Clippers up by 11 as the clock went under three minutes.
But back-to-back 3s from Niyama Adadevoh (22 pts, 10 rebs) and Wilson (28 pts) cut the lead to 55-50 with two minutes left, then after the team’s traded buckets, it was Adadevoh slashing to the basket to make it 57-54 with 30 seconds on the clock. Newburyport would miss a pair of free throws to keep the Bulldogs in it, and a wild possession saw their coach, Tyrone Reid, call a timeout with 2.2 seconds left after Wilson gathered a long offensive rebound off a blocked layup (and would hit a 3).
Thankfully for them, Wilson would hit another 3 — from a similar spot on the court — after the timeout.
And it was a dagger for the Clippers after it seemed like a win was in the bag.
But to their credit, through all of the adversity, they didn’t fold.
“I really think that when it comes to tournament time, we’re so good at focusing on what matters,” said Schwab. “We’re so good at using our energy to fuel us, whether or not we’re having a rough time at school or anything, we use our energy to drive us. That’s when our team chemistry really clicks.”
The two sophomores, Rouba and Bailey, would control the overtime period. Rouba would make a jumper followed by a transition layup, then a Bailey basket and free throw put Newburyport (15-6) up 66-62 with 40 seconds left. Wilson would respond with a bucket for the Bulldogs (10-11), but Downey made a big free throw on the other end to make it a three-point game at 67-64. Wilson got a good look with a nice stepback over the contest of Bailey, but her on-target 3 would hit off the back iron.
And the end result: Newburyport going back to the Round of 16 for the fourth straight year.
The challenges will only continue there, as the Clippers have to travel to No. 1 St. Mary’s on Monday for a 6 p.m. tipoff. But just last year — as the No. 27 seed — the Clippers pulled off two of the biggest upsets in MIAA tournament history to reach the quarterfinals.
So they’re used to this sort of moment.
“For sure, absolutely,” said Schwab when asked about pulling off another upset. “We have a lot of talent, a lot of young talent, and just a good program. We’ll be ready to go.”
Newburyport 66, Springfield International 64 (OT)
Division 3 First Round
Springfield International (64): Niyama Adadevoh 8-5-22, Zahara Wilson 11-4-28, Noelani Santiago 0-0-0, Aniyah Richardson 3-0-8, Jeiveliss Rojas 1-0-2, Bethany Richardson 0-0-0, Dezmariah Collazo 1-0-2, Aaliyah Diaz 1-0-2. Totals 25-9-64
Newburyport (67): Maddie Hopwood 3-0-6, Morgan Rouba 6-0-12, Clara Thompson 1-2-4, Ava Bailey 5-1-11, Ava Bailey 8-4-20, Laney Schwab 3-0-6, Caitlin Downey 3-1-8. Totals 29-8-67
3-pointers: N — Downey; SI — Wilson 2, Richardson 2, Adadevoh
Springfield International (10-11): 15 12 13 17 7 — 64
Newburyport (15-6): 13 22 14 8 10 — 67