Low percentage? Sure. Desperation? You bet.
But 100 percent luck? Not necessarily.
Jefferson guard Austin Thompson said he felt good about his fall-away three-point jumper from the corner Tuesday night at the buzzer when it left his hand. His intuition, like his shot, was right on target as Thompson nailed an improbable game-winner to lift Jefferson (13-11, 7-4) to a 76-73 victory at home and its fifth-straight win.
“I felt pretty good tonight,” Thompson said. “My shot was on tonight, so I had hope it was going in.”
Thompson finished with 20 points. His game-winner was preceded by a game-tying tip-in off a Dre Clarke miss.
Thompson’s heroics were just part the story, actually. There was big defensive play, too.
With the game tied at 73 with 11 seconds, East Jackson in-bounded the ball and set up for one final play. But Andre Daniel got a hand on the ball and Thompson came up with it with seven seconds left.
Thompson then pushed the ball down the floor but ran into a triple team in the left corner.
With no one to pass to, Thompson put up his 22-foot desperation heave.
“I just threw it up once it got down to about two seconds,” he said.
Ball game. Then chaos.
Thompson’s teammates and some fans dog-piled on top of him on the Jefferson gym floor while East Jackson had to watch a valiant rally from a 13-point deficit go by the wayside.
Jefferson coach Bolling DuBose was very pleased with parts of the game – the very end obviously – and not so much with others.
“I was proud of the kids,” DuBose said. “There are certainly things we can work on. We didn’t play our best game, but we did get the win.”
Defensively, Jefferson did little to stop East Jackson from attacking the basket, DuBose said, nor did his team play well on the defensive boards.
But the coach felt his team shot the ball well, especially in the third quarter when it scored 28 points in the period and led 62-51.
Then East Jackson rallied, setting up the drama.
“You’ve got to give them credit,” DuBose said. “I thought they made a great comeback.”
This was the second time in four days East Jackson found itself digesting a heartbreaking defeat by the Dragons.
East Jackson led Jefferson by eight points Saturday with less than a minute left. But Jefferson, thanks to two bank-in three-pointers from David Watson, forced overtime and won 69-61.
The Dragons – who locked up a no. 3 seed in the region tournament — are on a roll now at the right time as winners of seven of their last nine games heading into the regular season finale against Jackson County.
Jefferson is also playing with confidence, having stared down defeat in consecutive games, only to somehow win.
“It really helps us,” Thompson said. “I think it’s going to help us as we get into the region (tournament) and into the state (tournament). With the close games we’ve been playing, I think we’re going to be ready.”
Moving forward, Jefferson also wants to settle a score with Jackson County Friday. The Panthers defeated the Dragons 56-54 on Dec. 17. The Dragons haven’t forgotten.
“We’re ready for them,” Thompson said.
While Thompson was the hero of Jefferson’s Tuesday win over East Jackson, Watson authored the Dragons’ comeback Saturday with his late three-pointers and a 19-point night.
Thompson added 12 points and Hoytes Damons chipped in 11.
The Dragons were able to weather a huge night from Cody Gibbs, who scored 30 points.
Jefferson trailed 23-22 at the half and 42-39 at the end of three quarters and appeared to be heading toward loss after the clock dipped inside a minute.
“And then we make a lay-up and then David banks in two threes,” DuBose said.
The Dragons came into that first game with East Jackson a little leg-weary after beating Elbert County 73-63 in Elberton.
Jefferson outscored the Blue Devils 28-13 in the fourth quarter to earn its second win this season over Elbert County. Jefferson went 11-for-14 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter.
Watson paced the Dragons with 25 points. Thompson added 19.
