MacArthur’s Danquez Dawsey (2) attempts a layup while Santa Fe South’s Veontae Pendleton (3) and Matt Bayliff (44) defend. Dawsey finished with eight points in the 74-61 win on Saturday.
William Bryant's eyes never wavered.
With a desperate defender tightly guarding him, Bryant hit his fourth and final 3-pointer of the game with 2:30 remaining, putting an exclamation mark on his career night. The shot essentially sealed the victory for MacArthur, serving as the dagger in a 74-61 win over pesky Santa Fe South in the first round of the Class 5A West Regional at Eisenhower on Saturday night.
The win also marked the 17th-straight season the Highlanders succeeded in the first game of regional action.
The 3 was only a small fraction of what the junior contributed, for he finished with a personal best 32 points to go along with nine rebounds and two steals.
Bryant said the explanation for his impressive performance was simple -- he didn't want his team's season to end.
"Last year, even though I didn't play a lot, I had that feeling and we went home early," Bryant said. "I told the guys we just have to go out and play, and I'm not going home no matter what. That excitement and energy I had just kept on going. I told them at halftime, 'The score is 0-0 because we're only up five, so we need to make it happen.
"I knew whatever happened, we still gotta keep going because anything can happen with any minutes left on the clock. Even though I did hit that shot like I needed, I knew we had to keep going because we have a big game against Eisenhower on Monday, and they aren't going to stop playing, so we can't stop playing."
Despite Bryant's night, Mac (13-9) struggled to put the Saints away until the final quarter.
The teams entered the fourth deadlocked at 46, and the momentum seemed to belong to Santa Fe South (14-12). The Saints took the first three points of the frame to take the lead, but Mac wasn't ready to give up just yet.
With Santa Fe South leading 51-50 with 6:10 left, Mac coach Marco Gagliardi called a timeout that changed the game's trajectory.
It was during the stoppage of play Gagliardi made a game and season-saving decision to change the defensive scheme. The Saints' ability to get past the Highlanders' defenses for easy baskets in the paint and draw fouls was the main reason for the change.
Gagliardi said the defensive switch and increased intensity on offense helped the Highlanders pull away for the win.
"We went to our press there at the end, and we got a few easy baskets," Gagliardi said. "I thought we did a pretty good job of knocking down free throws there at the end, but the press is what got us the lead there, and we just kind of hung on. We were having trouble breaking their pressure, but we broke it a few times and got some easy layups.
"Everybody kind of kicked it out. They pressured, and whenever we were able to beat that pressure, they're either going to give up a layup or a 3. They chose to pack in, so we kicked it out and trusted the pass. (Bryant) was just on fire tonight; he hit everything he looked at. We ran our offense as a 3-2 zone beater with (Bryant) running the baseline, and it got him look after look after look."
With a newfound resolve, Mac went on to outscore Santa Fe South 24-10 the rest of the way.
Meanwhile, Mac star Sep Reese had a surprisingly quiet night.
The sophomore, who Gagliardi said normally averages 19 points per game, managed only five points, all of which came from the free-throw line.
Reese was noticeably more passive, dishing it to teammates even when he had open looks. Gagliardi said Reese's shooting motion was off because of a thumb injury he suffered at practice a day prior to the game.
"(Friday) in practice, he jammed it pretty good," Gagliardi said. "Then today in the first quarter, he gets frogged on the knee, so he's limping and had to sit out most of the first quarter. Then he gets a bloody nose there in the end. He's banged up, man. With him scoring five and us still winning a playoff game, that's good. That means somebody else made plays, and I thought (Bryant) played amazing."
Although Gagliardi and the Highlanders are ecstatic about the win, they know there remains work to do.
Mac plays rival Ike for the regional championship at 8 p.m. on Monday, and it is no secret the Eagles have had Mac's number this season.
The Gore Blvd. have met three times already this year, with Ike sweeping the series with an average margin of victory of 23.33 points. The Eagles defeated Guymon on Saturday night, 110-44.
Gagliardi said there are several things his team must improve upon if it wants to score the upset of the No. 4 Eagles (17-5).
"We stepped up and made plays, and that's what it takes, but we gotta be better Monday," Gagliardi said. "Defensively, we have to be better. We were giving up way too man blow-bies, and we weren't there to help. We took four or five charges, but we have to do a better job of staying in front of the ball. Eisenhower is a different animal -- they're huge.
"We've seen a lot of Eisenhower, so hopefully we can do something Monday that gives them a little bit of trouble."