Sometimes it’s not the first shot in the closing seconds that beats you.
It’s the second one.
Jayden Humphrey’s putback at the buzzer put Lloyd Memorial into their first region championship game since 1996, taking down Newport 41-40 in Tuesday’s St. Elizabeth Healthcare 9th Region boys basketball tournament at Truist Arena.
What was an efficient scoring first half, turned into a rock fight in the second half. The Juggs the one making the final play, getting some revenge on a team that’s ended their season the past two years.
With 5.3 seconds remaining and a side out of bounds trailing 40-39, the Juggernauts got the ball back to in-bounder Anthony Blaackar, penetrating the lane and being forced into a tough shot over multiple defenders. Humphrey snuck down the weak side baseline, gathered the ball in mid air and laid it in for two as the buzzer sounded.
“I’m still in shock,” Humphrey said. “I just wanted to put it up as soon as I can. My main objective was to get the putback.”
It’s Lloyd Memorial’s 16th straight win as they look to do something the program never has, win a regional championship.
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“You got to click at the right time,” Juggernauts coach Mike Walker said. “They never give up. They never stop believing. They believe in what we do. They believe in our practice. They believe in each other.”
Yamil Rondon was almost the hero for the Wildcats for the second straight game. Trailing 39-37 after a Blaackar layup with 37 seconds remaining, Newport turned to Rondon for a nearly similar shot from Saturday’s quarterfinal buzzer-beater against Holy Cross. He stopped at the top of the key, pump faked drawing the defender in the air before draining what Newport thought was the game-winner.
“Things were going our way and momentum was our way,” Snapp said.
Snapp stated after the game he wanted his team to foul after the first dribble on the ensuing inbound with a foul to give.
“I told them to take one dribble and then foul them,” Snapp said. “We left the in-bounder, too.”
It ends Newport’s attempt at a third straight region title, putting a close on a rollercoaster of a year at 19-11. Before the season even started, the Wildcats were dealt the tough news that star junior Taylen Kinney was heading to prep school. The addition of the senior Rondon from Cooper came with some waiting time as he missed the first month of the season with an injury. Then various injuries to Amontae and Adonaje Lowe continued to keep things in flux. Once they got fully healthy, they went 5-1 down the stretch which included their third straight district title.
Rondon led the way with 15 points, Adonaje Lowe adding 11. Griffin Starks tossed in eight points.
On top of Rondon graduating, so is Adonaje Lowe, DaShawn Anderson and Kyle Lee. They return James Turner, Starks, and Amontae Lowe to build a solid core around.
Lloyd was led by EJ Walker’s 16 points, going a perfect 6-of-6 from the field. Blaackar added 11 and four assists. Humphrey posted nine points, the last two being the biggest of his career to date.
“It just proves all the hard work he put in in the summertime that it came to fruition today,” Walker said. “He’s done it the whole season. I’m so proud of him and the dedication he’s done to this game of basketball.”
Lloyd’s first half was highly efficient with 29 points on 55% shooting with just three turnovers. They also hit 4-of-6 three-pointers as they took a 29-24 lead into halftime. The Juggs were held to four points in the third as Newport tied things up at 33 headed into the fourth.
Possessions got longer in the final frame, Walker’s 3-point play giving Lloyd a 37-36 lead with two minutes and change remaining. Amontae Lowe knotted things up with a free throw, followed by Blaackar’s tough two in the lane.
With roughly 12 seconds to play, Rondon started to make his move, but this time, there was still time on the clock unlike Saturday, needing to attack early due to being down and a possibility at a second chance if the shot didn’t fall.
The Juggernauts now get Cooper on March 18, Tuesday’s other region semifinal winner over Covington Catholic. Cooper won the regular season meeting between the two, 63-59 on Jan. 14 in Erlanger.
PHOTO SLIDESHOW: Lloyd Memorial-Newport 9th Region semifinals (provided by Charles Bolton)
JUGGERNAUTS 41, WILDCATS 40
LLOYD MEMORIAL — 16-13-4-8 — 41
NEWPORT — 12-12-9-7 — 40
Scoring
Lloyd (41) — Walker 16, Blaackar 11, Humphrey 9, Bresser 3, Sebastian 2
Newport (40) — Rondon 15, AJ Lowe 11, Starks 8, Amontae Lowe 3, Turner 3
Game Stats
Field Goals: Lloyd 15/31, Newport 14/29
3-Pointers: Lloyd 4/10, Newport 4/13
Free Throws: Lloyd 7/9, Newport 8/11
Rebounds: Lloyd 18, Newport 17
Assists: Lloyd 7, Newport 11
Steals: Lloyd 4, Newport 6
Blocked Shots: Lloyd 0, Newport 1
Turnovers: Lloyd 11, Newport 10
Records: Lloyd Memorial 26-6, Newport 19-11