BOSTON — They were a 2–18 program just six seasons ago. Now, the Sharon boys basketball team is on its way to a state final.
And they did it in the most improbable of fashions on Tuesday at the Clark Athletic Center. Taking advantage of missed free throws by Bedford in the final minute, the Eagles stunned the boisterous crowd as Jackson Rava’s three-pointer with 2.1 seconds left gave Sharon a 64-63 win and a date with Malden Catholic in the Division 2 finals in Lowell.
“To see all the hard work of these kids pay off is fantastic,” Sharon coach Andrew Ferguson said. “One of our core values is unselfish offense and to see it show up there on the last play of the game is amazing.”
Trailing 63-58 with 48.5 seconds left, Sharon saw Jameson Baer miss two free throws for Bedford. The Eagles got the rebound and Nate Katznelson hit a three with :20 left to cut the deficit to two.
The Eagles quickly fouled and sent Jireh Joseph to the line with :16.1 left. He also missed a pair and Sharon got the ball in the hands of Jacob McLoughlin, who had 13 of his game-high 26 points in the fourth quarter.
He drove to the hoop but when Bedford’s defense collapsed, he kicked it to a wide-open Rava on the right wing and his shot was true.
“If anyone is playing better than Jacob is right now in the playoffs, I haven’t seen him,” Ferguson said.
The Buccaneers (19-4) led for much of the evening before Sharon (17-7) took a one-point lead late in the third quarter. Bedford responded with a 10-3 run to go ahead by six at 52-46. They eventually pushed the lead to seven before McLoughlin took over for the Eagles.
Camdyn Shoesmith led Bedford with 25 points while Justice Buchannon added 18. Katznelson finished with 14 for Sharon, who also got 13 from Jaden Segal.
The pace was frenetic from the opening tip as Shoesmith scored eight first quarter points to help Bedford to a 13-10 lead after one.
The Eagles took the lead early in the second quarter before an 11-4 run, keyed mostly by Buchannon, helped lead the Buccaneers to a 31-23 lead at halftime.
