Senior's buzzer-beater sends Bulldogs to finals
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JACKSONVILLE — Anniston's Josh English gingerly limped off the floor following the Bulldogs' sub-region win over Woodlawn at home last Friday after being undercut on an alley-oop attempt with four seconds to play in regulation.
The 6-foot-1 senior needed assistance again Wednesday as he hobbled to the sideline after Anniston's 56-53 victory over J.O. Johnson in the AHSAA Class 5A Northeast Regional semifinals at Pete Mathews Coliseum. But for English, the only returning starter from a year ago on the Anniston squad, it was a pain that was worth the while. After Johnson's Cameron Logan drained a jumper from the right wing to tie the game at 53 with seven seconds to go, English took the ensuing inbounds pass, sprinted down the court and let go of a running rainbow from about 35 feet out with a defender in face that hit nothing but the bottom of the net as time expired to win the game in most dramatic fashion. His teammates, along with several of the dozens of fans who stormed the court from the stands after the ball went through the net, tackled him to the floor in the post-game celebration. "I just pushed the ball, shot it and it went in," said English, who finished with a team-high 18 points, including five 3-pointers. "I just prayed to the Lord. That's it." The shot looked dead on as soon as he released it, but English said it didn't feel like it was going in when it left his hand. "I saw it go in," said English, who hit a nearly identical shot against Butler in a Thanksgiving tournament. The next thing English knew he was on the ground as part of the biggest group hug the tournament has seen so far. "I tried to move out of the way but then everybody jumped on me." Said Anniston coach Schuessler Ware, "It means so much for a kid like Josh. I told him, 'If you want exposure, this is it everybody's going to be here'." Anniston (25-4) will face Butler (25-5) again in the regional final Friday afternoon at 5:20 p.m. The Rebels came back from down 17 against Talladega on Wednesday to win 75-71 in the other semifinal. English, who scored 12 in the fourth quarter, gave Anniston the lead for the first time in the second half when he rattled in a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 3:40 to play in the game. That shot put Anniston ahead 51-50. His dribble drive and dish to sophomore Quintarious Hutchinson with 17 seconds to go gave the 'Dawgs the lead again at 53-51 before Logan's jumper knotted the game at 53. That set up English's opportunity to be the hero, in a finish that would have made NASCAR fans jealous. "In that last minute, we were going at it back and forth," Logan said. "I hit a big jump shot then hit another one and that was the game." Logan finished the game second in scoring on the night for the Jaguars (23-11) with 19 points, behind only Antwon Jackson's 20. Anniston once again used a balanced scoring attack, getting double-figure points from Milton Curry (12), Brent Tolson (10) and Marquez Safford (10). The Bulldogs also managed to do it against a team could that could match their quickness and was at least four or five inches taller than them at nearly every position. "At practice coach told me to head fake them on offense and use my speed to get past them," said the 6-1, 190-pound Tolson, who muscled his way to a game-high nine rebounds. "But they were still a load to deal with." The game was played in waves. Anniston opened the game on 8-0 run. Johnson responded with a 22-2 tear and Anniston closed out the half on a 13-4 run to pull within three at the half. "That was a big game," Ware said. "We played this team a week before the area tournament and they beat us by 18 at home." The Bulldogs beat the Jaguars by 10 in Huntsville in November. |
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