Sylvania sixth grader nets half-court buzzer beater for win

TOLEDO, Ohio — An impressive moment reminiscent of some of the greatest in March Madness took place in Toledo on Saturday.

The Vince Debo tournament took place at Emmanuel Christian School on Saturday. Among the teams competing were head coach Eric Snyder’s “Ballerz.” A makeshift team, which included custom jerseys, made up of Sylvania sixth-grade students who chose to stay home for spring break.

Having never played before prior to the weekend and no time to practice or prepare, the team entered its final competition with the simple goal of having fun. Little did they know that mission would lead to a finish they’ll never forget.

“It was incredible. I didn’t think it was going to go in, first of all,” sixth grader Victor Row said. “I thought it was going to hit the back of the rim and bounce out. Pretty incredible how it went in.”

With under two seconds remaining in their first game of the tournament, the opponent tied the game at 27-27 with a free throw. No timeouts to utilize, teammate Zachary Snyder took the basketball on the baseline and quickly surveyed the court.

“No plays at all, we had no inbound play and no offense,” Row said. “Zach saw me, we locked eyes and he got me the ball. Shot it and went in.”

From the half-court line, inside a high school gymnasium, Row caught the ball in stride and turned toward the basket without taking a dribble. The shot then stayed on target before hitting nothing but net and securing the dramatic victory.

“Shocked, I didn’t think it would go in since it was a deep shot,” Snyder said. “It’s just crazy.”

Snyder and Row played together on the Sylvania Force throughout the season. Although they welcomed in new teammates this past weekend, the casual setting provided a memorable finale.

“It’s just so fun, not having to go out there and be so competitive,” Snyder said. “Just play ball.”