Callahan FL– With just .6 seconds remaining in the 4th quarter of the Class 4A Regional Semifinals, Paxon (20-8) inbounded the ball with a chance to either tie or win the game trailing 53-51 to West Nassau. Dribbling to his right, Paxon senior guard Jakobe Williams pump faked then pulled up for the tie, but his 20-footer was blocked by senior guard Dallan “Deebo” Coleman. The ball would deflect into the hands of Paxon guard Quinnton Jackson who pulled up from behind the arc for a 3-pointer which sank to the bottom of the net for the apparent win as time expired.
Yet immediately after the play, one referee on the base-line waived off the shot signaling that time had expired before the ball left the hands of Jackson, giving West Nassau the 53-51 victory. A closer look however, revealed that the ball left Jackson’s hands with 0.1 seconds still remaining on the clock, which potentially could’ve given Paxon the 54-53 win.
Confusion set in from the stands, and at the scorers table, but not from the referees. The shot remained no good, moving West Nassau to the next round to face Marianna. Several people reacted to the controversial call on twitter. Some in shock, some in disbelief, others in outrage. Coach Toby Frazier of Paxon lamented. ” You canāt take that from these kids.. I donāt care who the kids are .. if you see this indisputable evidence why not make it right?”
It’s unfortunate that the game ended in controversy, as it overshadowed the efforts of both teams in a tremendous contest. West Nassau led for most of the way including at half time 28-24, and after the third quarter with a score of 42-37. Yet Jakobe Williams and Quinnton Jackson would bring Paxon back to tie the game at 47-47 late in the fourth leading to a frenzied finish.
Nursing a 1-point lead, Deebo Coleman went to the free-throw line and nailed 1 of 2 free throws to give the Warriors at 2-point lead before the final play. He along with Keenan Johnson came up big for West Nassau (19-11) in the game, playing great defense and scoring using their length. They are major reason the Warriors will play for the 4A Regional Championship Friday at 7 pm.
