Blue Valley West coach Donnie Campbell thought the worst.
St. Thomas Aquinas’ Angelo Allegri had just pulled up for a game-winning 3-pointer with less than a second remaining and Campbell’s Jaguars clinging to a 48-46 lead.
“It’s going in,” Campbell thought to himself as the buzzer sounded and Allegri’s attempt flew through the air.
The shot looked on line, then banged off the back of the rim, giving West a home victory Friday and preserving its chances of an East Kansas League (EKL) title.
“(Allegri) is a great player, and I thought for sure it was good,” Campbell said. “This was a typical EKL game, every time you play in this league it’s going to be a war. If you get a win in the EKL, you take it and run.”
The Jaguars improved to 6-6 overall and 4-2 in the EKL, and thanks to this win will be a key factor during the conference race in February.
West led the entire contest except for a brief stretch in the final minute.
Allegri beat his man off the dribble for a layup with 45 seconds left, putting Aquinas ahead, 46-45.
Trey Lucas drew a foul in the paint moments later for the Jaguars, then calmly hit two free throws to give the them the lead back. Or at least he appeared calm.
“All I could think about was a game in seventh grade where I missed a free throw in a similar situation,” said Lucas, who led all scorers with 13 points. “I was getting pretty nervous. All I could think about was what it would feel like to miss.”
He didn’t, and the Jaguars survived a missed Aquinas 3-pointer on the ensuing possession.
West’s Mikey Chalupa hit one of two free throws with 4 seconds left to reach the game’s final tally and set up Allegri’s shot.
“That’s a good EKL team,” Lucas said, “but we let them back in the game with some poor play and turnovers down the stretch.”
Aquinas (8-4, 3-3 EKL) wishes it could have the first quarter back. The Saints managed only a Hagenkord 3-pointer in the frame until Allegri’s putback at the buzzer kept them within 13-5.
“Our defense the first half was as good as we’ve played all season,” Campbell said.
West eventually pushed its lead to 20-11 before Aquinas answered with seven straight points, Hagenkord drilling a 3-pointer during the run.
The Jaguars closed out the half with five straight points, then kept a lead ranging from three to nine points the second half before the Saints used a 6-0 run to take their lone lead.
“Our second-half defense wasn’t very good, but Aquinas executed better, so you have to give them credit,” Campbell said. “We didn’t handle their press very well and missed some free throws.”
Nathan Wiles added nine points and Mikey Chalupa chipped in eight for West. Hagenkord paced Aquinas with 12 points and Allegri finished with 10.
The challenge of trying to guard Allegri, a junior who is getting Division I looks, is something Lucas is used to.
“Angelo and I play on the same AAU team, so it’s always fun going against a former teammate,” he said.
For Lucas and the West program, they can be thankful their coach’s initial thought about the game’s final shot turned out to be incorrect.
