TACOMA — It will be forever known simply as the shot.
Junior guard Jamie Eisinger has hit some game-winning baskets before in his career, but none was bigger than his stunning 3-pointer at the buzzer to lift Jackson to an improbable 72-71 victory over Kentwood in a loser-out Class 4A state boys basketball tournament game March 10 at the Tacoma Dome.
The Wolfpack looked to be on its way home as the Conquerors held a 71-69 lead with 2.7 seconds left in the fourth quarter and were at the foul line with a pair of free throw attempts.
Kentwood, however, missed both free throws and Eisinger grabbed the second miss and the Timberwolves called a timeout with 2.0 seconds to go.
The shot was the result of a perfectly executed play called home run. It’s a play Jackson worked on throughout the season during practice but had never successfully executed it during an actual game.
Senior forward Joe Markovich took the ball at the baseline and threw a perfect 70-foot pass to Eisinger, who dribbled the ball once, pulled up and launched a shot over the outstretched hand of Kentwood’s Cody Thueringer.
“I guess I was open and Joe Markovich threw a perfect pass right to me,” said Eisinger, who up until that point of the game had scored only five points. “I just threw a floater and everyone knew it was in.”
Kentwood, which was the 4A state runner-up last year and the 2004 champion, chose not to put anyone on Markovich and instead had all five of its players in the backcourt, which surprised Eisinger.
“I didn’t think it would happen,” he said. “All the defenders were in the backcourt. Everything opened up perfectly. It just worked out.”
Eisinger took advantage of a screen by a teammate to put a little distance between him and Thueringer before the shot.
The victory assured the Timberwolves would be playing on the fourth and final day of the tournament and would be bringing home some state hardware for the first time in school history. Jackson went on to defeat Inglemoor 62-54 the next day and claimed a fifth-place trophy.
“What a great play,” Jackson coach Steve Johnson said. “Let’s face it, the guy made an unbelievable shot with pressure.”
Eisinger’s game-winning shot set off a wild celebration on the court that ended up spilling over on to the media tables in front of the Jackson crowd.
“It was the best feeling I’ve ever had,” Eisinger said. “It’s like I won a million dollars.”
Jackson had to overcome some major adversity in the second half, including a pair of technical fouls that resulted in two key players fouling out.
The Wolfpack appeared to be in control of the game early in the fourth quarter when senior guard Drew Eisinger made a pair of free throws to give Jackson a 59-50 lead with 6:22 remaining.
But in a span of less than two minutes, Kentwood went on a 12-0 run and took a 62-59 lead with 4:10 left in the game.
Junior guard Brian Rucker finally snapped Jackson’s cold streak with a 3-pointer to tie the score at 62 at the 3:27 mark.
The two teams then started trading free throws for the next 1:47 with the Wolfpack sinking four of four, while the Conquerors struggled, making only four of eight.
A putback basket by junior forward Mark Aurich gave Kentwood a 68-66 lead with 56 seconds left. Senior guard Toussaint Tyler then made one of two free throws and senior guard Curron Singleton then had a putback basket to extend the Conquerors’ lead to 71-66 with 12 seconds to go.
Rucker then hit a 3-pointer, his eighth of the game, to cut the deficit to 71-69 with 6.8 seconds. The Jackson junior guard finished with a game-high 29 points.
“He did an amazing job,” Jamie Eisinger said of Rucker. “That’s the best he’s ever shot for a game. He has so much confidence … he really stepped up for our team.”
Just as impressive was the Timberwolves’ resiliency in the face of what appeared to be a game that appeared to be slipping away from them.
“I’m proud of the fact they answered back, stayed focused and executed obvious right down to the end,” Johnson said. “We executed that play (home run) perfectly.
“We still managed to have enough poise and composure to execute when it counted the most.”
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