Depew’s Olivia Leazott got the full basketball experience Sunday evening.
One second, a critical turnover late in a tied game gave her opponents a golden opportunity to win a sectional title. The next, she was sprinting down the court after securing a rebound and wound up nailing a championship-winning shot.
“I got it back,” Leazott said of the dramatic swing. “That was probably the biggest shot of my life.”
Leazott’s game-winning pull-up jump shot with 2.6 seconds remaining gave No. 1 Depew a 54-52 win over No. 2 Lewiston-Porter, as the Wildcats claimed the Section VI Class A2 title at Buffalo State University.
“We knew it was going to be a battle all the way down to the last second and that’s what it was,” said Depew head coach McKenzie Hill. “I didn’t want it to be that close either way, but our team, they grinded together. They played off another, and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
With the game tied at 52 all with 22 seconds remaining, Depew (20-3) had a chance to hold for the final shot and win the game if they could successfully inbound the ball. They were able to get it to Leazott, but she was immediately trapped by two Lew-Port defenders, forcing a jump ball with the possession arrowing favoring the Lancers.
On the ensuing possession, instead of holding for the final shot, the Lancers’ Lily Baird opted to shoot a 3-pointer with 10 seconds remaining that didn’t fall. Leazott grabbed the rebound and managed to evade traffic to get to the left baseline, stopping on a dime and pulling up for the game-winner.
“I saw the shot go up, got the rebound and I knew the ball was in my court at that time,” Leazott said. “I had to control the game. I saw the drive right open, nice little jump shot, I made it.”
Lew-Port (15-8) still had a golden chance to tie or win the game. After a timeout advanced the ball, the inbounds pass went to Alyssa Auer, whose baseline jump shot at the buzzer touched about every part of the rim – but didn’t fall.
“I was ready to fall to the ground,” said Hill about Auer’s dramatic final shot.
It was a true back-and-forth affair all game. Depew held the lead for most of the contest, with its largest advantage of nine points coming in the first quarter.
However, the Wildcats went cold to start the fourth, going scoreless for the first five minutes of the final frame. The Lancers took advantage, as an 8-0 run capped by a Baird layup gave Lew-Port its first lead since 20-19 in the second quarter.
In need of a big response, Ashley Krysztof stepped up for Depew, knocking down a big 3-pointer for the Wildcats’ first field of the fourth quarter to make it 50-48.
“We just talked about one play at a time,” said Hill on her team’s early fourth quarter struggles. “They’re going to give us their best, we have to give them our best.”
Depew and Lew-Port have become incredibly familiar with one another, as they’ve met with a sectional title on the line for four straight seasons now.
After falling to the Lancers last year, Depew got its revenge. In the past four sectional championships, each team now has two wins.
“(Lew-Port head coach) Brian Hall does a tremendous job,” Hill said. “We talked about before, how awesome it is both programs have gotten back here. It’s a testament to each them, so all props to Lew-Port, they’re a very well-coached team.”
Behind Leazott, Ashley Codr chipped in 13 points for Depew. On the other end, Lew-Port’s Baird ended with a game-high 22 points.
The Wildcats advance to the Class A crossover game, where they will face the winner of the Class A1 title contested by Williamsville South and Amherst.
“Hopefully, once we game plan, we can work on our practices and see how we can win that game and keep going further,” Leazott said.
The Class A crossover game is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday at Buff State.
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