First, the College Heights Cougars came back.
Then, the Duchess Park Condors did the same thing.
Finally, the Cougars won the game -- and the championship title in their own tournament -- on a last-second bucket.
It all happened Saturday night at College Heights secondary, in the final of the CHSS Cougar Classic senior boys basketball tournament. The game, which ended 94-92, had more twists than a Chubby Checker dance party and was a smash hit with the Cougars and their fan base.
"That was awesome -- that's going to be a really good memory for years to come," said College Heights guard Nolan Hanson, who played a huge role in his team's second-half surge.
"That was probably the funnest and best game I've ever played in."
At halftime, the Condors had a 46-30 lead. Late in the third quarter, they were still in control, ahead 67-51.
But then the Cougars -- led by Hanson's relentless drives to the rim -- started their charge. By the end of the third quarter, they trailed just 69-60.
In the fourth, the Cougars took their first lead, 84-82, with 3:18 left on the clock. With momentum now on their side, they extended their advantage to 92-84 and had 51.8 seconds standing between them and victory.
Cue the Condor comeback. Andrew Whittaker, with a ridiculously-long three-pointer, gave Duchess life and then hit another trey right away. Suddenly, it was 92-90. Off a College Heights turnover and a lay-up by Montell Lindgren, the Condors and Cougars were back on even footing, deadlocked 92-92.
With 3.7 seconds remaining, the Cougars got a chance to inbound the ball from the end line, and Sam Goodrich found teammate Matt Badial, who fought off a Duchess defender and made an off-balance lay-up for the pulse-pounding victory.
"If the pass wasn't there, the lay-up wasn't there," Badial said. "All I did was put it in the hoop. I was falling down, but I managed to put it up. I was kind of in disbelief [when I saw it go in].
"We all took shots and we all trusted each other. I think that's the biggest part of our success."
Hanson finished with 33 points, 28 of them in the second half. Whittaker had 38 for Duchess, including 18 from three-point territory.
The Cougars and Condors, double-A zone rivals, will collide in a city semifinal game on Feb. 9.
