FAIRFIELD, Conn. At 6-foot-5, Fairfield Wardes Michael Wright is not the typical player who nails buzzer-beating three-pointers. But Warde head coach Ryan Swaller called on his junior forward twice as the seconds ticked away in Friday's game. And none was bigger than the shot Wright made with the Fairfield Holiday Classic championship on the line.
With Warde and Notre Dame tied at 49-49 with 6.3 seconds to go, Wright nabbed a high inbounds pass at the top of the key. Matt McTague set a screen for Wright, who moved to the left corner. With Notre Dames Dan Upchurch right in his face, Wright heaved an awkward fade-away shot as time expired and hit nothing but net to lift Warde to its first-ever Holiday Classic title, 52-49.
Wright who was a 5-foot-11 guard until a growth spurt last season could not be stopped from beyond the arc. He hit five three-pointers and at least one in each quarter. He also drained another buzzer-beater at the end of the third quarter after slipping and falling just seconds before getting the shot off.
I knew I only had about five seconds, but Matt set a great screen and I just put it up there the best I could, Wright said. Ive never had two buzzer-beaters in a game before. I actually thought the third quarter shot was harder.
Both teams played at a breakneck pace throughout the game, leading to a surplus of turnovers on both sides. Notre Dame went a little too fast for its own good at times, as Warde went on a 15-2 run over the third and fourth quarter.
The Mustangs could not pull away despite plenty of chances. Sam Martens hit a free throw to put Warde up 47-45 with 18 seconds to play, but Notre Dames Earl Coleman netted a putback shot to tie the game. Warde called a timeout, setting up Wrights heroics.
We were on the other end of a lot of these last season. We learned a lot and now we know how to finish off games and play the full 32 minutes, Swaller said. Were working better as a team, especially on defense.
Lost thanks to the chaotic ending was a stellar defensive performance by Wardes Sal Siciliano. The Mustang center frustrated his Notre Dame counterpart, Arkel Miles, and pulled down 10 rebounds. Miles finished with a game-high 19 points but was shut down at several crucial moments.
Wright finished with 17 points and was named tournament MVP. McTague racked up 13 points while Siciliano added 11. Upchurch had 13 points for Notre Dame.
The victory puts Warde above .500 for the first time this season, improving to 3-2. The Mustangs face a stiff test Tuesday, traveling to Harding for a 7 p.m. game.
Notre Dame falls to 4-2 with the loss. It was the second year in a row the Lancers lost the Fairfield title in a heartbreaker. The Lancers travel to Immaculate on Tuesday for a 7 p.m. game.
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