|
Oh the Agony; Haldane Ousted by Keio Buzzer Beater
By Ray Gallagher
 | | Haldane senior Billy Campbell strokes gametying shot with 1:00 to go before his Blue Devils were shocked by a half-court buzzer-beater in a 45-42 loss to host Keio in the Section 1 Class C quarterfinals last Wednesday. |
|
If agony were measured in increments of depth, seventhseeded Haldane's 45-42 Section 1 Class C quarterfinal loss to No.2 Keio would cut deep, right down to the bone in all likelihood.
When Keio forward Yuji Ogawa hurled a 40-foot bank shot as time expired, two distinct congregations of people - the Japanese Nation of Keio and the blue-collar cronies of Haldane - held their collective breath until Ogawa's last-ditch effort snapped a 42-all tie and sent Keio to the Westchester County Center for the Class C Final 4.
As bedlam ensued in front of the Keio bench, the frenzied Unicorn faithful stormed the court. Haldane players like big Nick Nastasi hit the floor, mired in sea of misery. Ogawa scored 19 points, dropping 13 in the final quarter in vexing fashion. He was nearly invisible in the first half (3 points). Takuhiro Hashiyama added 12 for the Unicorns (11-7), who play in Monday's 4:30 semifinal against No.3 Leake & Watts (13-7), while K. Naruse scored 11-first half points off three 3's. Tuckahoe (13-8) will play topseeded Blind Brook (16-4) in the other semifinal, but it could have been Haldane at the semis had they cashed in on their chance to win.
"We had an opportunity to win the game and we didn't get it done," Blue Devil Coach Joe Virgadamo admitted. "We had a hand in Ogawa's face on just about every shot but the last shot, which was just luck. A lot of teams would have folded after an 0-8 start, but not my kids. I think I'm most proud of that. To see them fight back the way they did and come about 20 seconds from making it to the County Center was something we'll never forget."
Nastasi scored 14 points and played valiantly down the stretch, along with sidekick Billy Campbell, who put 13 second-half points on the Unicorns, including the shot that gave Haldane its first lead, 42- 40, with a minute to go.
"Billy's hit a lot of big shots for us the last two years," the Coach said. "Nastasi… all of my seniors, they never quit; even when we were 0-8."
Haldane's first lead of the night would disappear when Ogawa muscled up in the paint with 30 seconds left to tie the score at 42.
Blue Devil Coach Virgadamo called a timeout to set up a play, but it broke down in the paint amidst a mass of bodies before Ogawa picked up the loose ball, sprinted to half court and let fly the dagger that sent Haldane (8-13) home a loser for just the second time in the last six games.
"I felt that (Mike) Thorpe got bodied pretty good, but then he took the kid out on what could have been an offensive foul," Coach V said. "We were all waiting for a whistle."
The Haldane faithful were looking for a foul call on Thorpe's drive to the hole, but two referees, as they do often in these last-second situations (right or wrong), swallowed their whistles. Thorpe was supposed to run pick-n-roll with Nastasi, the younger cousin of the two famed Nastasi sisters, Aaron and Ryan, but it didn't pan out as planned. Contact caused a crucial turnover, and Ogawa pounced; turning a potential Haldane triumph into a miracle finish for Keio.
"It doesn't feel real," said Nastasi, a four-year member and team captain. "The feeling gets worse and worse. Keio has like a Duke home-court advantage. I've been on varsity four years and played at Keio three times and lost all three. It's a horrible feeling to go out in your career like this, for all of us. I never made it to the County Center, and we were 20 seconds away."
When Haldane went up two in the waning moments, the message in Virgadamo's huddle was 'get a stop and we're going to the County Center', but Keio hit as many big shots, if not more, than Haldane and deserved to win just as much.
The last play was supposed to be a pick and roll with Nastasi and Thorpe. Instead, the play broke down. Nastasi and Campbell tried in vain to work it a similar play. The ball ended up in Thorpe's hands out on the perimeter against slidedriven defense. The Unicorns literally pounced on Thorpe in the paint and the ball popped loose near the top of the key.
"Even though I would have liked myself or Billy to have the ball, I felt comfortable with Thorpe having it," Nastasi said. "Thorpe is a four-year starter for us. When he went down in the lane, I definitely felt like there was contact, but I've been in and witnessed these situations before where referees like to (don't make calls) at these times."
After watching the film, the Haldane players and coaches agreed; no doubt there was contact.
"I saw at least two kids body up to Thorpe and he lost the ball," said Nastasi, who dedicated the 2007-08 season to his grandfather, who passed during the first week of the season. It was grandpa's inspiration that drove Nastasi to score eight fourth-quarter points. "We all expected a call, but we were not getting much anyhow."
Haldane went to the line just four times, compared to Keio's 14 attempts.
"I think our beef is that there was no foul called, and our fans were telling us the clock actually stopped to give Keio extra time for that miracle but either way what can you do?" Nastasi wondered. "It was so loud it was nearly impossible to hear the buzzer. If we played better defense in the first half the end wouldn't of mattered. When that shot went in it was almost like, 'Are you kidding me? This is how were going out'. Give credit to Keio. They hit the shots."
Shortly thereafter, there were plenty of tears in the Haldane locker room, a gamut of emotions and the feeling that the Blue Devils had been robbed. In the other locker room, the Unicorns basked in the glow of victory. Their program is clearly on the rise in recent years with its second County Center visit in a few years.
Please visit www.yourdirectrays.com to view Section 1 sports photo galleries.
| 
