Joe Baffney's buzzer-beating 3 lifts DeSales over Sunnyside Christian in Southeast 1B showdown
Joe Baffney caught an inbounds pass with less than a second on the clock and drilled a 3-pointer at the buzzer to lift DeSales to a 50-49 win over 1B Southeast division rival Sunnyside Christian on Friday night at DeSales High School.
The Fighting Irish, No. 6 in SBLive's 1B power rankings, move to 11-1 overall, 8-0 atop the 1B Southeast League; No. 4 Sunnyside Christian falls to 6-3, 2-2.
"It shows our kids how to fight back," DeSales coach Eric Wood, whose team trailed for much of the game, said. "Playoff atmosphere, at this point in the season, it shows our kids we’ve got to believe in each other, trust in each other."
Wood took a timeout with 0.8 seconds left and told Baffney to get ready to be open on the sideline inbound, since the defense would likely key in on DeSales standout Jack Lesko. Baffney, who finished with 14 points, popped out of a low double screen behind the 3-point line and heaved a catch-and-shoot dart toward the rim as the game clock expired. The junior combo guard and three-year starter also had the toughest defensive assignment of the night guarding Sunnyside Christian standout Cole Wagenaar.
Wagenaar and Lesko were both included in SBLive's midseason state player of the year watch list released this week.
Watch footage of Baffney's game-winning 3:
