Plaquemine coach Donald Johnson said his team did not have a signature win despite sporting 11 victories heading into Friday night’s showdown at home against No. 6 Brusly. That changed in the most dramatic way possible.
The Green Devils (12-6) overcame a seven-point deficit with two minutes left, and senior Derion Bosley banked in a 3-pointer from the left wing as the buzzer sounded to give Plaquemine a 54-53 win.
Jakyris Jenkins paced Plaquemine with a game-high 20 points. Tyrinn Henderson scored 12 points and Bosley added nine.
“We were at the free-throw line with four seconds left, and they were telling us to try again next year,” Bosley said. “I don’t have another year. At that moment, I told my teammates to let me take the last shot and they did. I knew I was going to win the game.”
Brusly (16-3) had three double-figure scorers, led by Edrick Snearl’s 14. Micah Bryant chipped in 12 and Ben Radford added 10.
Plaquemine’s physicality allowed the team to get an early lead. Jenkins scored a bucket late in the first quarter, putting the Green Devils ahead by nine at 16-7. The home team had a 17-9 advantage after the opening period.
Brusly cut the deficit to two points at 20-18 in the second quarter on Ryland Johnson's layup. Plaquemine responded by closing the quarter on a 13-5 run capped by Jerome Royal’s old-fashioned three-point play that extended the Green Devils' lead to 33-23 at the break.
The Panthers came out of the locker room with a 17-4 flurry, highlighted by back-to-back threes from Bryant, which gave the Panthers a 40-37 lead. That lead was short-lived after Bosley hit a three to tie it at 40. Brusly claimed a 41-40 advantage heading into the fourth.
Steven Wesley drilled a 3-pointer from the left wing with 2:05 remaining that boosted the Panthers' lead to 51-44.
Plaquemine did not go away. It scored five quick points, accentuated by Henderson’s three-point play that trimmed the deficit to 51-49 with 1:20 left. Snearl made a layup with 9.9 seconds left that seemingly iced it. However, the Green Devils scored a quick bucket and fouled Radford, who missed two free throws to give Plaquemine a chance with 2.8 seconds left.
“I knew the kids were going to play hard with the rivalry and all,” Donald Johnson said. “We had two really good days of preparation. Brusly is really good, but our guys just stayed with it. We could’ve laid down, but we made some plays late and were able to capitalize on their mistakes.”
Brusly hosts a district matchup against Belaire on Tuesday. Plaquemine will travel for its district matchup Tuesday against West Feliciana.
