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The 58th annual Gridley Invitational Basketball Tournament final will be remembered as one of the best match-ups in the illustrious history of the tournament as the Salesian Pride and Jesuit Marauders delivered one of the most stirring and hotly contested games seen in Farmers Hall in many years. Two great programs battled it out for 32 minutes of basketball played at the highest level, and when the horn sounded, Salesian fans and players stormed the court after Pride forward Sean O'Neal hit a lay-up with literally no time left on the clock giving Salesian the 51-49 victory.
The burning question will always remain. Did O'Neal get the shot off before the buzzer sounded? From the straw poll taken after the game, ignoring both the Salesian fans and Jesuit fans who were obviously biased for their sides, most observers, including myself, felt the shot came after the buzzer, and the game should have gone to overtime tied at 49.
However, when the shot was made, the Salesian players, coaches, and fans rushed the court, believing they had won. The three referees came together to discuss the call while pandemonium was occurring on the court. The Jesuit bench was screaming for the shot to be disallowed, claiming the ball was still in O'Neals hands when the 35 second shot clock buzzer sounded with .4 seconds left. We will never know what the officials saw for sure, or if their decision might have been influenced by what was happening on the court, but after conferring, the basket was called good. Game over. And the Salesian celebration continued in earnest.
"To read this story in its entirety, call 846-3661 to subscribe to The Gridley Herald."
The 58th annual Gridley Invitational Basketball Tournament final will be remembered as one of the best match-ups in the illustrious history of the tournament as the Salesian Pride and Jesuit Marauders delivered one of the most stirring and hotly contested games seen in Farmers Hall in many years. Two great programs battled it out for 32 minutes of basketball played at the highest level, and when the horn sounded, Salesian fans and players stormed the court after Pride forward Sean O'Neal hit a lay-up with literally no time left on the clock giving Salesian the 51-49 victory.
The burning question will always remain. Did O'Neal get the shot off before the buzzer sounded? From the straw poll taken after the game, ignoring both the Salesian fans and Jesuit fans who were obviously biased for their sides, most observers, including myself, felt the shot came after the buzzer, and the game should have gone to overtime tied at 49.
However, when the shot was made, the Salesian players, coaches, and fans rushed the court, believing they had won. The three referees came together to discuss the call while pandemonium was occurring on the court. The Jesuit bench was screaming for the shot to be disallowed, claiming the ball was still in O'Neals hands when the 35 second shot clock buzzer sounded with .4 seconds left. We will never know what the officials saw for sure, or if their decision might have been influenced by what was happening on the court, but after conferring, the basket was called good. Game over. And the Salesian celebration continued in earnest.
"To read this story in its entirety, call 846-3661 to subscribe to The Gridley Herald."
