Buzzer beaters are always fun, but they're much more fun when they win a game. Just ask Lake Balboa (Calif.) Birmingham High boys basketball fans today.
Before you fully digest the video above, which was dug up by the Los Angeles Times' Eric Sondheimer, consider the circumstances surrounding the shot it highlights. Birmingham and California Interscholastic Federation City Section rival Los Angeles (Calif.) Chatsworth High were tied at 61 with 1.5 seconds remaining, with Birmingham receiving the ball for one final attempt. The Patriots had to go the length of the floor to get up a shot, with an inbounds coming under their own basket.
Luckily, the Birmingham inbounds passer found Patriots star Andrew Estes when he cut back to the hoop on a curl route, and he took care of the rest.
Estes took a couple of dribbles and let fly with a deep, one-legged shot from well behind half court. The ball bounced cleanly off the backboard and through the hoop, good for a huge, 64-61 Birmingham victory. Patriots students went wild and rushed the court, all while Chatsworth players remained on the court stunned.
Of course, perhaps both sides should have seen a monumental tussle coming. In 2011, Chatsworth pulled out an 81-77 thriller on the team's visit to the Lake Balboa school in a game which was only slightly less dramatic. As in this case, Estes was a key player, leading Birmingham with 25 points in that loss.
This time around, it seems he has a lot more to smile about.
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