Will Davies’ game-winner.@VarsityMaine pic.twitter.com/tmwr4r5oER
— Lee Horton (@LeeHortonSJ) February 25, 2023
It will be debated for as long as we’re playing high school basketball in Maine, and probably longer. Did Will Davies’ get his shot off before the buzzer or not? ‘
All the debate won’t matter. The officials on the court said Davies beat the clock, giving Thornton Academy a 52-51 win over Bonny Eagle in a Class AA South boys’ basketball semifinal Friday night at Cross Insurance Arena.
Davies’ shot was the culmination of a game that saw four lead changes in the final 18 seconds. He took a long inbounds pass from Robert Eldred, turned and shot from just inside the 3-point line. Even Davies wasn’t sure if he got it off before the red light glowed on the backboard, signifying the end of play.
“I don’t know,” said Davies, a Mr. Basketball semifinalist who scored a game-high 23 points, 11 coming in the fourth quarter. “Refs make calls.”
Bonny Eagle Coach John Trull was adamant that the shot was too late, showing a photo on his phone of what appears to be the ball in Davies’ hand as the clock reads 0.0.
“It obviously ripped our heart out,” Trull said.
The win advances No. 1 Thornton (17-3) to the Class AA South final Saturday against No. 2 South Portland (17-3). No. 4 Bonny Eagle ends the season at 12-8.
Just before Davies sent Thornton fans into bliss and Bonny Eagle fans searching for video proof that the shot shouldn’t count, it looked like Elliot Bouchard would be the hero for the Scots. With his team trailing 50-48, the 6-foot-8 senior scored on a putback and was fouled with 1.3 seconds left. He made the free throw to give Bonny Eagle a 51-50 lead.
Bouchard finished with nine points, 13 rebounds and three blocks.
“He’s a heck of a player. A great player. Really unguardable, but I thought our bigs did a a good job. I was hoping he’d miss,” Davies said.
Before Bouchard took the free throw, the Trojans called timeout and talked about their options.
“The best you can actually do is have a guy running deep, and throw it and see what happens. I don’t know how many times you’d get it to work. The pass from Eldred was a great pass,” Thornton Coach Robert Davies said.
A 3-pointer by Hayden Campbell (14 points) put Bonny Eagle on top 48-47 with 18 seconds remaining.
“It was just a play we’ve been working on, where it’s a delayed screen. All the credit to Hayden,” Trull said.
The lead lasted only 10 seconds, as Davies converted a three-point play with 8.8 seconds left to put the top-seeded Golden Trojans back in front.
It was a back and forth game, but Thornton appeared in control with a 43-35 lead with 3:55 to play. The Scots chipped away, cutting the deficit to 47-45 on a pair of Campbell free throws with 40 seconds left.
Both teams struggled to find an offensive rhythm in the first half. The Trojans committed 12 turnovers, while the Scots had 10.
Bonny Eagle led by as much as five points in the second quarter, Thornton closed to within 20-18 at the half when Davies hit a 3-pointer with 12 seconds left.
The teams traded the lead five times in the third quarter, and Thornton went to the fourth with a 35-32 lead.
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