Scott Keyes
Sports Scene
It was a shot that was heard around the world.
Sacred Heart Academy’s Dustin Neyer’s dramatic heave gave the Irish a 50-47 regional title victory over Fulton and was seen by millions all over the world thanks to a video posted online by Morning Sun reporter Nate Schneider. Moments after Schneider posted the video, it went viral. The “Shot” was No. 1 on ESPN’s Top 10 List, was No. 1 on Fox Sports Play of Day, and was also seen on CNN and the popular sports website Deadspin.
Needlesss to say, Neyer was on cloud nine moments after hitting the dramatic shot at Big Rapids High School. “Unbelievable!,” he said. “Everything just fell in place, and I knew there wasn’t a lot of time left on the clock, so I just threw it up and fortunately for us it went in. Amazing. Truly amazing.”
Originally, the play was for senior Kevin Gamble in the post, but senior Brooks Hyble chucked the inbounds pass, causing the ball to deflect hard off the glass. Neyer just happened to be in the right place at the right time and and launched a 3-point prayer beyond the arc.
The ball bounced around the rim every which way before tickling the twine and giving the Irish the miraculous victory.
Three days after hitting the shot, Neyer was still grinning from ear to ear. “I still can’t believe it,” he said after watching the Sacred Heart girls basketball team win the Class D championship. “That shot will be something that I will remember for the rest of my life. It was pretty incredible. I watched the shot over and and over and still can’t believe it went. It was a pretty cool moment.”
Neyer finished the game with 11 points.
Irish coach Pat Theisen was left speechless after witnessing the shot. “I don’t think many people ever have seen a shot like that,” Theisen said. “It was one of those things where nothing went right as we drew it up, but fortunately for us it went in.”
Strange things happen in games, and Fulton coach Todd Walden said that was probably the strangest thing he has ever witnessed during a basketball game. Unfortunately for the Pirates, they were on the losing end of the scoreboard.
“With 0.8 seconds left on the scoreboard, you figure you are probably playing for overtime,” Walden said. “You have to give the guys running the clock credit, as they knew the rules and didn’t start the clock until it hit a player’s hands inbounds. It was an incredible play for sure. I feel for my players. This was definitely a tough loss for sure. These kids won a lot of games this season and showed a lot of character doing it. I am really proud of them.”
However, Sacred Heart’s season would come to an end a week later in the Class D quarterfinal round against Frankfort. This time around, the Irish were on the other end of a last-second shot and lost the game, 47-44. Frankfort’s Brandon Schaub drove the lane, made the basket, and hit the free throw with five seconds left to secure the victory.
Hyble scored 19 points to lead Sacred Heart, while Gamble added 12. Junior point guard Ben Goenner added 10.
The Irish finished the season with a 20-4 record.