WICHITA, Kan.—
Beating the buzzer for the win is among the most dramatic ways to end a game in all of sports. But for Wichita Northwest senior Craig Nicholson, drilling a deep 3-pointer at the horn to beat Maize 54-51 is just another day at the office.“I just knew I was going to hit it,” said Nicholson of his last-second, game-winning shot. “I just had that feeling. I saw the time go down and I was like, ‘I have to make this or we are going to overtime.’ I’ve made five game-winners in my whole high school career, so I’m used to it by now.”
Coming down to the wire in a game that was up for grabs throughout, the Northwest senior experience and leadership provided just enough of a difference for the Grizzlies to escape with a win.
“We’ve been through a multitude of situations like this,” said Northwest head coach Chris Collins. “I’ve got a number of them that have been playing in this type of atmosphere since they were freshmen and sophomores. And that really does help us when it comes down to one possession or two or three possessions late in ball games where you’ve got to get a stop, or got to get a free throw, or you’ve got to execute to where you’re effective.”
After spotting Northwest a lead to start the game, Maize pulled together to go on a 10-0 run in the first quarter to put the Grizzlies in a hole. At the break the Eagles held a 30-25 lead.
Things got dicey again in the third quarter for the Northwest when senior Spencer Gales picked up a third foul, followed shortly by Nicholson’s third foul, leaving it up to the Northwest bench to keep the Grizzlies in the game. Andrew Moncada came in and helped Northwest with 6 points in the third quarter with Gales on the bench, nearly half of the Grizzlies 14 total points in the quarter.
“They have been playing big minutes throughout the year in crucial situations,” said Collins. “So I wasn’t too worried about how we would respond because we’ve been in that situation before.”
In the fourth quarter, with the game up for grabs, it seemed foreshadowing when the Grizzlies started to struggle a little from the free throw line.
But as much as the missed fourth quarter free throws appeared to present possible doom for the Grizzlies, Maize missed the front end of a one-and-one with the game tied at 51-51. After nearly fumbling the rebound over to the Eagles right under the basket, Northwest secured the ball and put it in Nicholson’s hands with about 15 seconds left in the game.
Nicholson took the ball down the court and let a little time bleed off surveying the defense. Then with a disorienting flashbang crossover, he created space to knock down the winner and cap a game-high 26-point night.
“He’s my point guard,” said Collins of Nicholson. “That’s why he’s had the ball in his hands for the last three-plus years. He understands, and the team understands, what to do in certain situations. We work on them all the time. He’s a gamer. He loves that situation.”
