Usually a player who shows an uncanny instinct for the right move, this time Kodie Abrams hesitated.
Brookfield’s top scorer this season - or anywhere, actually, with close to 500 points on the year - Abrams clearly was the right choice to bring the ball up from under the Copenhagen basket with 28 seconds remaining in their quarterfinal playoff game. The Beavers had brought their 11-10 record and No. 13 seed to the North Country and given the Golden Knights, seeded No. 5, quite a game.
The junior crossed the half-court line with 20 seconds left in the game tied at 52. With a guy guarding him closely - a mistake Copenhagen would not make again after Abrams had drained a 3-pointer early on near the top of the key when left alone - he dribbled and sized up the situation.
With 16 seconds left Abrams faked left, went right and got around the defender. He then faced a hot mess under the net, as teammates Caleb Worden and Jonah Rogers tried to clear a path by holding off four Copenhagen players. Teammates Preston Crespo and Kaden Ondrako waited on the wings in case Abrams needed to pass off the ball and have one of the team’s other 3-point attack men take the shot.
With 11 seconds left Abrams launched down the middle…