At the end of every practice Hope Academy players line up at half court and take a jab at swishing a half court shot for a can of pop from coach Kelby Brothen.

Converting from 50 feet hasn’t quite been a daily ritual for the state’s second-leading scorer, Johnny Erickson, but Erickson said he’s taken home soda a handful of times. 

Thursday night’s can may be his sweetest as Erickson knocked down a half court shot at the buzzer which helped the Lions overcome a 22-point deficit, dealing Cleveland its first loss of the season in a dramatic 77-74 finish at Hope Academy in Minneapolis.

“We finally caught fire, and the half court shot at the end, I didn’t think I could have shot it any better and it went in,” Erickson said following his team’s 25-2 run in the final seven minutes of the game. “ [I’m] super excited, overwhelmed with joy.”

Brothen echoed Erickson's exuberance, reflecting on his team's soda incentives.

“[Erickson] wanted a whole case,” Brothen said jokingly. “Most exciting game of my life.”

The Lions double covered the Clippers, ranked eighth in Class 1A by Minnesota Basketball News, off two inbounds that forced timeouts and ultimately a rushed shot with six seconds remaining, leaving Hope Academy one final chance to steal the win from Cleveland with a second left on the clock.

Erickson, showing his basketball IQ, saw the Clippers (19-1) backing up, and exploited a soft spot in the center of the floor where Nate Elifson lasered a pass to Erickson who took one step before releasing the game-winning shot at the buzzer.

“The players know what it’s like to get punched in the mouth,” Cleveland coach Dan Fredrickson said after his team’s first loss. “This puts steel in your spine and you move forward from this.”

The Clippers won 18 straight games by at least 17 points entering Thursday’s matchup and handled the Lions (14-4) with ease in the game’s opening minutes.

Cleveland jumped out to a 33-11 lead behind the game’s leading scorer, Jaiden Zishka, who posted 28 points and surpassed the 1,000-point milestone two minutes into the game.

Zishka’s taken over the scoring load for the Clippers’ Carter Kopet (who’s a four-year starter and won Valley Conference Player of the Year last season) who tore a ligament in his knee two weeks ago.

Hope Academy was missing Derince Melton after he suffered a sprain against Cristo Rey Jesuit on Tuesday.  Brothen said Melton “adds a lot rebounding and heart,” as a tenacious leader on defense.

The Lions, who average the second-highest scoring numbers in the state, never ditched their game plan and landed shots in spurts. Ethan Reed hit five three pointers and led Hope Academy with Nate Elifson as the duo both tallied 23 points a piece.

 “It was frustrating in the beginning. We didn’t contain them at all,” Erickson said. “Coming back and trusting in my teammates to hit their shots -- we finally caught fire.”

Hope Academy, playing in the Twin Cities Athletic Conference, has produced some of the best individual numbers in the state. Erickson is second in points (479), assists (140) and third in steals (74). Erickson’s sophomore brother, Joey, is second in steals with 76 and Elifson is sixth with 66 and third in blocks (67).

Following a statement win for the program that’s been a culmination of Erickson’s hard work with the Lions after transferring from Minneapolis South, he hopes Thursday’s upset is a message that his team can compete with the best of Class 1A.

“This is a game to show we can compete with higher level teams and we can make a run,” Erickson said.

Johnny Erickson banked in a halfcourt shot at the buzzer to deal Cleveland its first loss of the season in a 77-74 home win for Hope Academy Thursday night in Minneapolis.

Erickson was the state’s leading scorer entering the game, but was held in check in the second half, scoring four points in the final 18 minutes before his game-clinching shot that set him at 18 points on the night. 

Nate Elifson and Ethan Reed led the Lions (14-4) with 23 points a piece, while Cleveland (18-1), ranked eighth in Class 1A by Minnesota Basketball News, had a 28-point contribution from Jaiden Zishka who surpassed the 1,000-point milestone two minutes into the game.