Maurice Dixon
@WriturRece | mdixon27@gmail.com
SUWANEE (GA) – David Viti was in the right place at the right time with the perfect amount of touch for the perfect finish.
With less than a second on the clock, the senior Viti tipped in the game winner, allowing Buford to slip by United Faith Christian (NC) 69-67 on Martin Luther King Jr. Day at Peachtree Ridge High during the Blue Collar Basketball MLK Showcase.
After trailing by 10 with just six minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Wolves (16-3) began chipping away at their deficit by mainly capitalizing at the free-throw line (they were 9-for-9 in the frame). Then with two minutes to go, Marcus Watson (18 points) nailed his fourth 3-pointer of the contest for a 67-67 tie.
From then, it seemed like a lid was on both baskets until KC Hankton (11 points) got a point-blank opportunity at the rim but his layup fell short on the front of the rim even he appeared to get pushed in the back.
Buford misfired on the other end but the Wolves retained possession with five seconds left. After Donell Nixon (17 points) flipped a pass over his shoulder to Alex Jones (eight points, nine assists) in the corner, Jones took the shot which bounced to approximately the middle of the paint but Viti timed his jumped perfectly and tipped the ball into the basket as the final horn sounded.
Viti (17 points) ecstatically ran to the other end and tapped his wrist while his teammates swarmed him. He also hit a 3-pointer before the halftime buzzer for a 35-34 score in favor of the Falcons.
Nixon hit a 3-pointer as well at the end of the third quarter.
Rafael Jenkins led United Faith with 18 points. Brett Swilling and Nathan Springs scored 12 and 10 respectively for the Falcons, who shot 15-of-16 from the foul line.