Faith Lutheran’s Bret Walter coaches his last home game in 23 years as the Crusaders’ high school basketball coach during a game against Bonanza, Monday, Jan. 27, 2020.
Friday, Feb. 14, 2020 | 9:43 p.m.
The Faith Lutheran basketball team had a chance to win the playoff game at the end of regulation on Friday at Canyon Springs, but missed a free throw with 2.1 seconds to play to force overtime.
The Crusaders, who trailed by nine points early and struggled at times with the Canyon Springs full court press, could have easily been defeated. But they got another chance.
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This time, Faith Lutheran drained the free throws, as Nick Attanasio hit both shots for a 69-67 Mountain Region quarterfinal win.
“Our guys stayed pretty composed. They didn’t let a few things rattle us down the stretch,” Faith Lutheran coach Bret Walter said.
Attanasio paced Faith Lutheran with 24 points and Jason Sims scored 22. Azavier Johnson’s layup with 17 seconds remaining evened the score, and after Faith Lutheran forced a turnover on defense, Attanasio was fouled in the final seconds. He delivered the game-winning points.
Faith Lutheran plays Arbor View next week in the Mountain Regional semifinals, where the winning team earns a spot in the state tournament. Arbor View, a state semifinalist last season, has beat Faith Lutheran twice this season.
“We are excited to get another chance at them,” Walter said.
Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21
