Canyon Smith dropped a 23-foot bomb on Lafayette with nine seconds left to seal an improbable 45-42 comeback victory and give the Republic Tigers a second consecutive state championship.
The Tigers had trailed by as many as 14 points, and faced a 10-point deficit going into the 4th quarter. But the senior-dominated Tigers fought back to get the ball for a final possession and a chance to repeat. They got the ball to Smith at the top of the key, he rose up over the defender in his face, and he hit nothing but net to give the Tigers their first lead since early in the 2nd quarter.
“I wasn’t confident, believe it or not,” says Smith. “I just figured I might as well shoot and that’s what I did. I didn’t have a good look. I just still can’t believe it went in.”
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The game-winning three was the third of the night for Smith, who had been locked down by the Lafayette defense. Lafayette guard Billy Cook says they stuck to the game plan on Smith for most of the night.
“We did what we had planned on doing in the pregame. That kid was just a great shooter,” says Cook. “You just have to tip your hat to him for that shot.”
Lafayette had used a physical defensive style to shut down Republic’s offense for the first three quarters. The Fighting Irish led 5-4 after the 1st quarter and 19-10 at halftime. Republic got more aggressive in the 3rd, but still trailed 33-23 with eight minutes to play.
“Unbelievable comeback, unbelievable shot,” says Coach Trevyor Fisher. “More importantly just a great effort from our kids. I think a lot of teams would have thrown in the towel. We just kept battling back.
“I don’t think at any time these kids thought they would lose this game. Tremendous job by every guy out there.”
Even in a 10-point hole at the start of the 4th quarter, Republic wasn’t about to go quietly. They used a small, quick, four-guard lineup with Jordan Kerr on the floor to penetrate the gaps in the Lafayette defense.
“Credit to Lafayette, they’re a very good defensive team,” says Fisher. “I think getting to the free throw line was a big key into our success tonight.”
The Tigers shot 21 free throws in the 2nd half and made 16 of them. And just as importantly, all those free throws allows the Tigers to score without time running off the clock. A Cody Geiger three-point play, followed by a steal and two free throws for Smith, got Republic within five points with only 45 seconds gone in the final period. From there, they kept Lafayette under pressure, drawing ever closer until they finally tied the game with a minute left.
When Cody Massey missed a three-point shot for Lafayette and Chase Hoffmann pulled down the rebound, it set the stage for Smith’s heroics at the other end.
Smith ended up as the leading scorer for Republic with 14 points. Bekemeier and Geiger each had 13. The three seniors, who formed the core of the team all season long, combined for 40 of the Tigers’ 45 points. Brock Yocum added five for Republic.
“I can’t put into words how much this team means to me,” says Bekemeier. “I heard in the locker room that there was a tweet sent out that read, ‘You only see these kind of comebacks in the movies.’ And I truly, truly believe that we lived that tonight.
“I believe that the triple OT semifinal game was meant to happen, and to come down with five seconds left to hit that shot and win the state championship, it’s amazing,” says Bekemeier.
“I can say that God has blessed us in tremendous ways,” says Smith, “and I’m just glad that my teammates are my best friends. It just comes down to that.”
