Johnson basketball coach Chuck Campbell tore his Achilles calling a timeout in the finals seconds and watched from a wheelchair as Beach won on a buzzer beater.
The heated cross-town rivalry between the Beach and Johnson boys basketball teams has produced so many memorable moments over the years, but Friday night's finish at Beach was an all-timer.
After Johnson scored a basket to go ahead by two in the final seconds, Beach inbounded the ball with 3.4 seconds on the clock and got the ball to Jayce Jenkins, and the senior forward banked in a 3-pointer from the left wing as time expired to give the Bulldogs a heart-stopping 52-51 Region 3-3A victory.
But the seconds leading up to the frenetic finish were just as crazy. After Beach missed a chance, the Atom Smashers went on a fast break with senior guard Keyon Sallen finishing strong from about four feet out with a bank shot that put the Atom Smashers up 51-49 with less than two seconds left on the clock.
Johnson coach Chuck Campbell jumped onto the court to call a time out, and turned to get an official's attention before dropping to his back in obvious pain. He said he tore his Achilles tendon at that moment. Trainers quickly taped up his right ankle, and Beach assistant coach Terrell Cummings came from the Bulldog training room with a plastic boot for Campbell's ankle and a wheel chair.
Wincing in pain, Campbell sat down in his position at the end of the bench and watched the ending of the game unfold after officials reset the clock to 3.4 seconds remaining.
"Once we scored I got on the court to call the timeout and when I turned around, it felt like someone smacked me in the back of the leg and I knew I had torn my Achilles," Campbell said as he was being wheeled out of the gym. "It was a great Savannah city game between great rivals, but I just don't like how it ended."
The game was tied at 13 after one quarter, with Johnson taking a 27-25 lead at intermission. It was knotted up again at 38 after three quarters.
Jenkins led Beach with 17 points, Jordan Newton scored 12 and Kejuan Ferguson added nine for the Bulldogs, who improved to 13-7 overall and 5-2 in region play with the win. Sallen and Maurice Knight Jr. had 10 points each and Justice Crowell added eight for the Atom Smashers, who fell to 8-11 overall and 3-5 in region play.
"That was a crazy game with a crazy ending," Beach coach Simon Heyward said. "At first when I saw Coach Chuck go down, I thought he was just excited and fell down. But I feel really bad about what happened, he's like a brother to me. I'm going to check on him soon to make sure everything is OK and I know his team is going to fight for him."
Heyward said his squad played without two key players in Marcus Liddell and Kamari Allen-Brown, who were out with injuries.
"I was proud of the way our guys fought until the end in this one," Heyward said. "Nobody gave us a chance at the start of the year, but know we're starting to play well and make people believe. Joseph Phillips played a great game for us tonight, and showed he can be a part of our rotation going forward."
Campbell went to the hospital after the game and said he will be undergoing surgery in the next few days. He also said he started receiving text messages from friends and people at the game.
"When I called the timeout, there was just 1.3 seconds left on the clock, and the officials changed it to 3.4 seconds, so that cost us," Campbell said. "And then there was a picture of the clock showing 0.0 and the ball still in the Beach player's hands on the final shot.
"So they shouldn't have counted that final shot. We're going to protest the game, and I'm not sure what the proper protocol is with the GHSA to do that," Campbell said. "Our AD will take care of all of that, so we'll see if anything comes of it."
Campbell said he recently turned 50, and has never had a surgery in his life.
"I talked to the kids after the game and they were emotional," Campbell said. "Those guys will run through a brick wall for me. I told them I'm going to be OK, and they're going to be OK. We'll keep playing hard."
Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at [email protected]. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Beach wins on buzzer beater after Johnson coach tears Achilles in final seconds
Category: General Sports
