Stevens steals Ripon victory with half-court shot

Cole Stevens said he “floated it,” not unlike a Ripon red balloon drifting along in a soft breeze, a shot for victory from about three feet beyond half-court.

As Stevens’ heave reached its apex above the three-point line, the buzzer sounded, almost certainly signaling a win for Union Mine – until the shot caromed off the glass and crashed through the net.

Ripon 68, Union Mine 66.

“It felt good when I let it go,” said Stevens, a 6-foot-2 junior who’s tried it from long distance – never successfully – a few times after practice. “It was right at it.”

Ripon didn’t just steal Wednesday night’s Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV opener. The Indians (23-5) staged a virtual bank robbery after they trailed by 12 points with two minutes left. Union Mine (17-11) controlled the tempo almost from the tip with a 2-2-1 press that bothered the Trans-Valley League runners-up.

Then funny things started to happen at the Ripon gym. The Indians slapped on their own press that caused the Diamondbacks, the aggressors all night, to blink.

Stevens (14 points) launched the comeback with a triple, and soon guard Aaron Paschini (26 points) slashed down the paint for layups and acrobatic finishes. His driving score and three-point play drew Ripon even 64-64 with 40 seconds left.

A contested 10-footer by Union Mine lefty Andrew Vaughn (22 points) with seven seconds left seemingly saved it for the visitors. Paschini connected on one of two free throws at the five-second mark, followed by a quick foul.

Ripon coach Rod Wright already had given his orders to Stevens.

“I told Cole in the huddle that his shot either will win it, tie it or lose it for us,” Wright said. “He’s been that guy for us all season.”

With 3.8 seconds to go, Union Mine’s Bradley Brittain back-rimmed a 1-and-1 free throw. The Indians’ hard-working Cody Haines, whose 22 points and 16 rebounds kept his team within shouting range of Union Mine, collected the rebound with both hands and – without bringing it down – flung it to Stevens, who took one dribble with his left hand and almost fell to the floor after he let it go.

Wright, near the Ripon bench, raised his hands to his head in disbelief as the shot ripped home. The vocal Union Mine crowd sat motionless. The Ripon students rolled onto the floor to celebrate an improbable victory.

“I’ve had four of those go in on us. I’m not used to having it go our way,” said Wright, the Indians’ coach since 2000. “They had us totally beat.”

Haines, who won a thriller at Ripon Christian with a hustling tip-in last month, wore a smile seemingly stamped on his face. Ripon lost the rematch to RC, and thus the TVL title, in the rematch last week. Eight nights later, all that disappointment was history.

“I had faith in my team. I didn’t want this to be my last game,” the 6-4 senior said. “It (Stevens’ shot) was low-percentage, but it was a percentage. I’ll take it.”

Ripon won’t sweat its major underdog status at top-seeded Central Catholic on Friday night. The odds couldn’t have been stacked higher against the Indians vs. Union Mine.

Stevens, who averages a team-leading 17.7 points per game, did not even score until late in the first half. But soon his forgettable night became unforgettable.

“We were aggressive toward the basket and made free throws and shots and fortunately we got the win,” he said. “That was good.”

No kidding.

This story was originally published February 24, 2016 at 11:36 PM with the headline "Stevens steals Ripon victory with half-court shot."