Merola's buzzer 3 lifts Manhasset in 2 OTs
Manhasset's Head Coach George Bruns rushes in with his team to celebrate Daniel Merola's winning basket as he hugged by Dan Connolly (15). (Feb. 25, 2011) Credit: Kathy Kmonicek
The ball Manhasset's Dan Merola sent flying toward the hoop at the double-overtime buzzer Friday was more of a wish than a shot.
The designed play - a drive to the basket off a screen set by Dan Connolly - collapsed under the time constraint. Manhasset trailed Floral Park by two, two of its top scorers had fouled out, and Merola was about halfway between midcourt and the three-point line when he let it fly.
Swish. Wish granted.
The top-seeded Indians beat No. 5 Floral Park, 66-65, after the Knights overcame a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit and a four-point overtime deficit in a Nassau Class A boys basketball semifinal at SUNY-Old Westbury. Manhasset (18-2) will face No. 6 Lawrence at 1 p.m. next Saturday at Hofstra.
"I didn't think it was going to be good . . . That's not my range,'' Merola (15 points, four three-pointers) said before being swallowed up for a second time by his teammates. "It looked like a good shot.''
It looked like a season-saving shot.
Manhasset led 41-26 at the start of the fourth quarter after Floral Park (16-4) hesitated to drive inside in the third, insisting on more than a dozen three-point attempts, sinking only two and getting outscored 12-7.
New quarter, new game plan. Shamoy McIntosh's three-pointer and driving layup and Justin Wilson's finger roll kicked off a 10-3 run. McIntosh sank two free throws with 20 seconds left to tie it at 49 as Floral Park outscored Manhasset 23-8 in the quarter.
"Before overtime, it was ours and we lost it,'' said Manhasset's Gary Tibbs (18 points). When Anthony Amitrano (10 points) and Alessandro Troia (15 points) fouled out in OT, "it was like, oh my God.''
Manhasset took a 55-51 lead with 1:58 left in the first overtime before McIntosh (31 points) scored five points in the final 1:45, including two of three foul shots with 14 seconds left to tie it at 58.
Lloyd Wheeler's off-balance putback gave Floral Park a two-point lead with 13 seconds left in the second overtime, setting up Merola's circus shot.
"It was amazing,'' Tibbs said. "That was something special . . . I knew it was good. I knew it was good.''
Merola's shot quickly developed legendary status, with fans exchanging exclamations of "did you see it?''
"Send that into Sports Center!'' forward Jon Stefan yelled.
Merola, coach George Bruns said, had been struggling after a hot start and hadn't scored in double-digits in four games. "It was the moment of truth and he delivered,'' he said. "We were fortunate . . . It was one of those games where you feel the lead slip and slip. We started wishing instead of playing.''
When it counted, Manhasset did a little of both.
Lawrence dominates. Lawrence (17-3) beat No. 15 Great Neck North, 63-46, to reach the Class A final, led by Ahmad Shamseldin's 14 points. The Blazers (11-9) drew to within 35-28 late in the third, but Samson Bialastock's three-point play ballooned the lead to 10.
