In one of the greatest basketball games The Hound has ever witnessed, Ronald Steward became a hero for his fans and every player who's ever hoped to score from half court with a last-millisecond shot to take the Zee-Bees into the state finals.
What does a team like this do for an encore?
Talk about your icemen. There's Steward and then there's Coach Don Kloth who noted calmly after the game winning three-pointer he and his team were, "Livin' for the moment." Undoubtedly. In a game that was even-up all the way, what a finish.
Steward's spectacular shot gave the Zee-Bees a 54-51 win over the Evanston Wildkits and cemented a first- or second-place finish on Saturday in the state 4A finals in Peoria. Do teams really practice that last-minute, Hail Mary, or did he go solo? Who knows, who cares.
The Hound thought the game was in doubt when Zachary Morton of Evanston drained a trey from the outfield. It certainly was over after the steal. But then it turned around in a flash and Ronald "Iceman" Steward hit that three-pointer on the sweet spot of the glass and The Valley was abuzz. On to the next round.
Yowza, it doesn't get any better than this hoops fans.
The Zee-Bee victory over Evanston was tremendous! What a thrill it was to see the guys re-group after the 1st quarter time-out. Trailing 12-0 in the 1st quarter had us all squirming in our seats.
Key defensive stops and clutch rebounds helped turn the momentum to our side. With no lead greater than 6 points, it was a game that kept everyone anxious. Entering the 4th quarter deadlocked at 35 the final 8 minutes were the best High School basketball imaginable.
Tied with just 16 seconds left, we had hope..but it left us with an errant pass to the post...but then just as suddenly...the MIRACLE SHOT! It truly was a game for the ages. I hope everyone in Zion comes out on Sunday to welcome the team home from Peoria. Go BEES!