Braham senior guard Tyler Vaughan has a scorer’s mentality. He’s going to shoot, and shoot some more.
He’s also willing to play defense when the game is on the line. Vaughan blocked a reverse layup by St. Croix Lutheran junior guard Jackson Goplen with 10 seconds left, helping the top-ranked Bombers survive St. Croix Lutheran 81-78 Wednesday at Williams Arena.
“That was the biggest play of my career,” said Vaughan, who has scored over 3,000 career points. “I can play defense when I have to, but I’m usually conserving my energy for the offensive end.”
Sophomore forward Zach Dahlman made two free throws with 7 seconds left. Teammate junior guard Shaun Hollencamp scored on a layup with 18 seconds left, following a steal by senior forward Anthony Bias, to give Braham (30-1) a 79-78 lead.
The Crusaders (24-7) appeared to be on a mission. They led by seven with under 4 minutes remaining, and 78-74 with 30.8 seconds left. Vaughan buried a three-pointer 7 seconds later, and Braham quickly called its last time out, setting up its trapping defense for Bias’ steal. St. Croix Lutheran missed the front end of a one-and-one with two seconds left after a Braham foul.
“That was crazy,” said Vaughan, who finished with 34 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists. “You can’t really script an ending like that.''
-- Ron Haggstrom, Star Tribune
Tyler Vaughan, Braham
Tyler Vaughan had the performance of the tournament thus far. The Bombers' guard tallied 34 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists as he completely took over in the second half. He hit a 3, blocked a shot, and grabbed a board in the final minute of the nail-biter.
Cameron Braund, Braham
Braund had a wormanslike effort for Braham in the comeback win. He played stellar defense throughout and was efficient on the offensive end, scoring 13 points and hauling in 9 rebounds.
Matt Olson, St. Croix Lutheran
Matt Olson had a great all-around effort for the Crusaders, chipping in 18 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. He had numerous creative passes for open looks throughout the game, He led a resilient team that played with a great deal of heart in the loss to the Bombers.
-- Alec Kinsky, MN Basketball Hub Staff