Dyett’s Jeffery Posey didn’t even play during the first half of the Class A Luther South regional final against St. Francis de Sales on Friday night.
But when fellow junior Raymond Morgan got in foul trouble, it was time for the 6-foot-5-inch Posey to enter the game and pick up the slack.
After Morgan fouled out midway through the fourth quarter with the Eagles watching their game-long lead slip away, Posey put back a miss by teammate Davon Smith with one second left for a thrilling 54-53 win and his school’s first regional title.
“I was at the right place at the right time,” Posey said. “I’ve been working real hard, and it has paid off in the long run.”
De Sales had worked hard to erase a 43-34 third-quarter deficit.
The Pioneers started the fourth quarter with a 9-2 run to pull within 45-43. Tracey Wilson had six of his game-high 24 points during the run.
Lance Butler gave the Pioneers (12-19) their first lead since the first quarter when he completed a three-point play with 40 seconds left for a 52-50 advantage.
After two free throws by the Eagles’ Isaiah Walker (15 points) tied the game, Wilson hit the front end of a one-and-one with 11.8 seconds to go before Posey’s heroics.
Posey had four points on the night, while Morgan had more of an impact on defense, blocking six shots–five in the first quarter.
Jonathon McMullen added 12 points for the Eagles (19-12).
Butler had 13 points for the Pioneers, who haven’t won a regional since 2000.
