(Eau Claire, MI) - It’s on to the regionals for the New Buffalo High School boys’ basketball team.
The 21-1 Bison won the District 4 championship Friday night in a nail-biter. The game went down to the wire against 11th ranked Eau Claire, who trailed by 13 points at halftime.
Mark Shaw put the Bison on his back with 25 points, mostly from driving the paint for spectacular lay-ups.
“We’ve been working for this. I don’t know how to explain it. I’m just so happy we won this,” Shaw said.
Head Coach Nate Tripp said Eau Claire played a man-to-man defense to guard his three-point shooters closely, which opened lanes down low for buckets close to the rim.
Eau Claire took the lead midway through the fourth quarter, and the game with less than a minute to play was decided at the free-throw line. Kaden Parmley hit all of his free throw attempts except for the last one with three seconds to play.
A shot from more than half-court by Eau Claire was well off the mark, giving the No. 1 ranked Bison in Class D the district championship. The final score was 66 to 63.
The Bison begin regional play tonight at 7 p.m. at home against Gobles.
