Buzzer-Beater: Late 3-pointer sends Mount Vernon past Mansfield Senior

UPDATE: This story was updated at 12:45 a.m.

MOUNT VERNON — The Hive was buzzing again Friday night and there was just enough magic in the building to send Mount Vernon to an improbable victory.

Owynn Gleason banked in an impossible 3-pointer from near the top of the key with .3 showing on the clock as the Yellow Jackets stunned Mansfield Senior 62-61 in Ohio Cardinal Conference action at The Hive in Mount Vernon.

The Jackets have long owned one of the greatest home court advantages in all of central Ohio. The cozy confines of the gym and an ultra-engaged student section have made The Hive a nightmare for opposing teams.

Mansfield Senior (2-1, 1-1) found out the hard way. The Tygers led 60-55 with less than a minute to play only to be outscored 7-1 in the final 39 seconds.

“Special things happen in this gym,” Mount Vernon coach Nick Coon said, “and I guess we’ll chalk that up as another one.”

Nolan Belcher jump-started the last-minute comeback with a layup with 39 seconds remaining to make it 60-57. Senior High’s Nathan Haney hit the front end of a one-and-one with 27 seconds to go to give the Tygers a 61-57 lead.

Mount Vernon (2-2, 1-0) burned more than 20 seconds off the clock before Trevor Buttke eventually scored on a layup to make it 61-59 with 5.8 seconds left. The Jackets immediately called their final timeout to conserve what was left of the clock.

On the ensuing inbounds play, Myles Bradley’s long pass intended for a streaking Maurice Ware glanced off the partition hanging from the ceiling for a turnover. Mount Vernon regained possession and was able to inbound the ball from underneath its own basket.

Beau Bridges caught the inbound pass on the wing and tried to get to the bucket for a potential game-tying field goal, but was denied. Bridges pivoted and found Gleason trailing beyond the 3-point arc.

“Most importantly, we talked about getting the ball inbounds. That was priority No. 1 with no timeouts,” Coon said. “Beau Bridges made a great catch because Mansfield Senior did a great job of being physical without fouling.

“Owynn made a good cut and then made a very difficult shot.”

Gleason’s desperation heave banged off the glass and fell through the hoop, sending the Mount Vernon student section spilling onto the floor. The officials quickly restored order and put .3 on the clock, but Haney’s full-court attempt hit off the backboard and fell harmlessly to the floor as the Mount Vernon students stormed the court for a second time.

“That’s a tough one,” Senior High coach Marquis Sykes said. “Our guys did play hard. They played their hearts out and gave us what they had, but just not enough execution down the stretch.

“We missed some free throws and gave up too many straight-line drives to the basket and some back doors. Defensively we just didn’t execute down the stretch and that was the difference in the game.”

The loss spoiled another brilliant performance by Senior High’s Maurice Ware. The ultra-athletic senior swingman had 25 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals.

“He is a tremendous player,” Coon said of Ware. “He was a really good player last year, but he has taken that to another level this year.

“He has a really good cast around him, too. They are lethal when they can hit the boards and then get out in transition.”

Haney backed Ware with 14 points. LaLa Owens had seven points and five boards, while Karion Lindsay and Ahmaan Thomas each had six points.

Bridges, Buttke and Caden Rowland each had 11 for the Jackets. Nolan Belcher added 10, giving Mount Vernon four players in double figures.

“Any time you can knock them off, you’ve earned it,” Coon said. “There’s no gimmes against them. 

“We kept battling and battling and when you give yourself a chance late, sometimes special things happen.”

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