Daily Newsletters
Account
Washington Evening Journal
111 North Marion Avenue
Washington, IA 52353
319-653-2191
Epic comeback! WMU moves on
Abram Edwards’ clutch free throws cap off thrilling rally in district title game
MEDIAPOLIS — Winfield-Mount Union senior Abram Edwards is a cool 35% from the free-throw line this winter. In district-championship winning free throws, however, he’s a perfect 2-for-2.
As Edwards stood on the line with just 11 seconds left in a 49-49 ballgame, one would think that a little doubt would have crept into the Wolves’ minds, but WMU players and fans had plenty of reasons to be confident, after seeing what the team overcame leading up to the pair, which would give the Wolves a 51-49 Class 1A District 5 championship victory.
“For some reason when he went up, I felt calm about it,” said father and coach Klay Edwards. “I thought he would have it. He doesn't shy away from those moments.”
The Wolves had already erased a 14-point deficit in the final 10 minutes of the game. Notre Dame had what seemed to be a commanding 45-31 lead, with the ball, in the final two minutes of the third quarter.
A Cam Buffington steal kick started the comeback. He was fouled and made one free throw, which cut the deficit to 13 points. Jake Edwards, who hadn’t scored up to that point in the game, knocked down a 3-pointer with 20 seconds left in the third quarter to cut it to 10, and he kicked the final period off with another long ball that made it manageable, at 45-37.
“When Jake hit those 3-pointers, the crowd erupted,” Buffington said. “You couldn't hear anything running down the court.”
The Wolves, in front of a ruckus crowd, would continue to chip away at the Nikes’ lead in the fourth quarter, until it was eventually gone.
“My ears are still ringing I think,” Jake Edwards said. “It was crazy, and we feed off that energy.”
Buffington, who scored 19 points in the second half, tied the game at 46-46 on a layup with 4:32 remaining, and Jake Edwards nailed a deep 3-pointer one minute later to give the Wolves the lead.
“I don't know what got into us. A sense of urgency, I guess,” Buffington said. “We had a sense of urgency go through us, and we didn't want to quit.”
Notre Dame’s Shay Stephens hit a game-tying 3-pointer in the final two minutes, and the game stayed tied until the final seconds of the contest.
After corralling an offensive rebound off a missed 3-pointer, Abram Edwards found Cam Buffington for the potential go-ahead layup as time ran down. The ball rolled off and a mad scramble ensued, which saw Abram Edwards pull down two more offensive rebounds and eventually get fouled with 11 ticks remaining.
“Honestly, I wasn't too nervous,” Abram Edwards said. “I've been practicing a lot, and I felt comfortable with my free throws before the last two. They felt good, they just weren't falling in.”
But these two did, indeed fall in. The first free throw bounced off the back of the rim and into the basket, and the second found nothing but net, as the Wolves went back up 51-49.
The WMU defense survived two potential game-tying shots from Notre Dame in the final ticks, and the crowd was finally able to celebrate.
“This is our third year in a row being in this game, and we had lost two heartbreakers in the previous years,” Coach Edwards said. “It was just about those seniors stepping up, with a little bit of help from Jake, and just getting the job done.”
Buffington finished the night with 26 points to lead the team. Abram Edwards had 12. Jake Edwards scored nine, and Gabriel Hemsworth ended the night with four.
The fifth-ranked Wolves (19-2) will now take on Holy Trinity Catholic (19-5) for the Substate title on Saturday night. The winner of that game will represent the Southeast Iowa Super Conference in the Class 1A state tournament.
