CUSTER – Buzzer beaters have become a regular thing in the state of Michigan over the last week. Tre Holloman for Michigan State University, Nimari Burnett for University of Michigan and now, Trey Johnson for Pentwater boys basketball.
Johnson didn’t blink at his chance to give the Falcons a district title over Baldwin, knocking down a 3-pointer to put his team on top 55-52. With 1.1 seconds left to win the game, senior guard Jonny Arnouts took the ball at the baseline and inbounded it to Johnson, who came free off a screen set by Brody Austin.
While he looked cool, calm and collected watching the ball sail through the net, Johnson admitted he wasn’t sure he’d be able to get the shot off.
“I think everyone has a little doubt (in that situation),” Johnson said. “I have to give props to Brody Austin for giving me a great screen and Jonny (Arnouts) giving me a perfect lob so I could catch it and toss it right up. Everyone as a kid dreams of moments like this. It’s sweet that it happened to me today.”
There were plenty of sweet moments for Johnson on Friday. A consistent offensive force all year for Pentwater, he was relied upon early in the game. That reliance paid off late in the first quarter.
After watching Arnouts and Mikey Carlson match the Panthers’ output, Johnson caught fire. It started with a made three and a foul to boot, and ended with a 16-9 lead for Pentwater. Johnson scored nine points by himself, ending the quarter on the right foot for the Falcons.
“I’m pretty confident (in my shot). All the work after practice definitely pays off. I make sure to get extra shots after practice, whether it’s threes or pull up three…anything to get myself open,” Johnson said. “ I’ve taken so many shots and I’m confident in myself. I can make 10 in a row or miss 10 in a row – I’m still shooting the ball.”
Johnson started the second quarter with another made basket from beyond the arc, while Arnouts followed up with one of his own. Add five more points for Carlson in the quarter, and the Falcons had built themselves a nice advantage.
Owning a 10 point lead, Johnson found himself on the wrong side of the spotlight. Baldwin started converting shot after shot, while Pentwater consistently came up empty on their offensive possessions before halftime. In the midst of a 6-0 run, Johnson’s emotions got the better of him, and the officials issued him a technical foul.
That, plus a foul on the shot beforehand, sent Baldwin to the line for five consecutive free-throws. By the end of the quarter, the Panthers had a 12-0 run and had taken a 28-27 lead.
“It’s never enough,” Pentwater Head Coach Ashley Lubera said of her team’s double-digit lead. “We have this rivalry and it’s respected. I respect Baldwin with all my heart. We knew this was going to be a game, it didn’t matter that we beat them twice in the regular season. They played us to the bitter end and that’s how it should be in the championship.”
Johnson’s emotional outburst was rewarded with a momentary benching to start the third quarter. He watched as Baldwin scored six unanswered to start the second half, building a seven point lead.
Arnouts and Carlson nearly erased the deficit with Johnson on the bench, but Baldwin still led by one when Johnson got the nod to re-enter the game.
“We were just so comfortable tonight, even after Trey’s technical foul,” Lubera said. “It’s hard because he’s in his senior year, his heart’s on his sleeve and I just told him to play with his talent. You don’t have to say anything or do anything, just play with your talent that you’ve worked your whole career on. He did and he stepped up at the right moment.”
Johnson made another crucial shot after entering the action in the third quarter. On a breakaway layup in transition, Johnson was fouled. The basket counted, but Johnson missed the ensuing and-one opportunity. That was enough to put Pentwater back in front.
With the Panthers’ defense once again focused on Johnson’s scoring ability, Arnouts took a bit of the load on offense. Scoring five, Arnouts – along with one make for Carlson – led the Falcons out to a 41-38 lead entering the final quarter.
“I just had to keep my mind clear,” said Johnson “We knew that teams are going to come in and guard me like that, I just need to work as hard as I can to get my teammates open. Once they start hitting, the defense backs off me and I find my shots.”
Baldwin senior Louie Jackson was heavily involved in the final frame. Jackson accounted for eight points in the fourth quarter. With a three point deficit in the waning minutes, Jackson notched back-to-back buckets to put Baldwin in front, 50-48.
That’s where Abram Kieda stepped in, making a big shot and converting on two free throws to push Pentwater back in front at 52-50. Kieda proved to be a major contributor in the second half, helping balance out the rebound battle.
“Abram came in off the bench and we weren’t rebounding as strongly as we have against Baldwin (in the past),” Lubera said. “Kudos to (Baldwin), it really was because of their presence – but Abram stepped in and he gave a lot of height and a little bit of size. I just felt he made such an impactful difference.”
With under a minute remaining, Baldwin junior Jalene’ Allen knotted things up at 52. By the time Pentwater got the ball back, less than 10 seconds remained in the game.
The Falcons brought the ball upcourt, searching for a shot. Instead, they found a Panther foul that stopped the clock at exactly 1.1 seconds. Lubera called a timeout to talk things over and draw up a play.
“In big games like this, sometimes it just comes down to a big shot and you don’t know which guy is going to get it,” Lubera said. “We knew we had to get Mikey (Carlson) out of the mix (on the last shot) because it would clear off Louie (Jackson) and at that point, it’s anyone else’s game. It happened to be a beautiful lob from Jonny (Arnouts) and a perfect screen. It went up and went in and I’m so proud of the kids.”
The rest will be written in the history books – something that’ll be good for Johnson, seeing as he doesn’t remember the majority of it.
“I don’t even know what happened,” Johnson said. “I kind of blacked out a little bit. To have that happen in such a high stakes game like this, against a great team like Baldwin…it just shows how hard working we are as a team. Down 20 or up 20, we’re going to work as hard as we need to, to get the win.”
To the surprise of nobody, Johnson led the Falcons in scoring 17 points, adding four steals and three rebounds. Arnouts added 13 points, five rebounds and three steals, while Carlson had a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Kieda added four points and four rebounds, and Kaleb Brown had five points and five rebounds.
Pentwater moved to 21-2 overall with the win, accomplishing two of their goals for this season so far – a West Michigan D League title and a district championship. Next up is the regional tournament at Sacred Heart Academy in Mt. Pleasant. The Falcons will take on Muskegon Heights Academy (11-10) Tuesday, March 4 at 5:30 p.m.
As for Johnson, he’s proud of what the team has done in his senior season. In an interview with The Oceana Echo back in August, Johnson made a promise saying: “I’m excited for everything. This is my last season so I’m going out fighting and hopefully we’ll hang some banners on that gym wall.”
After delivering on that, Johnson smiled widely after the district finals win and simply said,
“I promised a banner and I came back with two.”
