Buzzer beater sends Valley Vista to Northwest tourney finals

All things considered — Valley Vista trailed by two and had to go the length of the court in 3.5 seconds — a straight-line 25-foot jumper was about the best the Monsoon could hope for.

It gets better. Valley Vista's best player was able to dribble up the court with little pressure, pull up in rhythm and get a clean look. And it went in.

Senior forward Jameel Yousif's rainbow swished cleanly through the net as the buzzer sounded to give Valley Vista (5-6) a 50-49 victory over Northwest Christian (7-2) in the semifinals of the Northwest Holiday Basketball Tournament at Greenway High School

"I feel like we're on top of the world," Yousif said. "We were the underdogs, with small size, but we came back and played strong. It's all in (our heart)."

The Monsoon moves into the title game against Independence (11-1) at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Greenway, 3930 W. Greenway Road.

"To come out in the tournament and start applying that (discipline), that's very promising for the future — going into January, into region play," Valley Vista coach Mike Anderson said. "We should feel good about ourselves right now."

Yousif's buzzer beater capped a wild final two minutes full of controversy and clutch plays. Northwest Christian junior guard Dakota Anderson hit one of two free throws to give the Crusaders a 44-42 lead with 2:07 remaining.

Then the fireworks started. Valley Vista junior guard Terry Alexander bodied up on Anderson and with 1:17 left, the Crusaders' floor leader turned to the nearest referee and asked why a foul wasn't called.

His comments resulted in a technical foul, which gave Valley Vista two free throws and the ball. Junior guard Justin Maas made one of the technical free throws to draw his team within one.

"You can see our team growing with maturity," Anderson said. "You hate to see a team get punished with a technical foul at the end of the game, but there were chances where our guys could have said something to the refs and credit to them for just keeping their mouths shut and just playing."

On the ensuing possession Alexander drove to the hoop, but missed a layup. Yousif grabbed the rebound and made a putback to give Valley Vista a 45-44 lead at the 1:03 mark.

Northwest Christian called two timeouts on its next trip downcourt. Then came one of the plays Anderson was referring to. Senior forward Andrew Kimmich was fouled while driving to the basket. Valley Vista thought he was fouled on the floor, but he was given continuation and a made basket. Kimmich hit his free throw to put the Crusaders up 47-45.

Yousif quickly answered, taking the ball the length of the court and getting hit. He sank both free throws to tie the game. Northwest Christian had 28 seconds to regain the lead.

They did on a layup by Dakota Anderson's brother, sophomore guard Hayden. Valley Vista called timeout and set up the game-winning shot.

"Our character and our maturity showed through down the stretch," Mike Anderson said. "Things didn't go our way, but then we got the ball back and we executed that play."

Yousif took control well before the final shot. He scored the Monsoon's final seven points, and set up a layup earlier in the fourth quarter by grabbing a defensive rebound, dribbling the length of the court and dishing to  wide-open senior guard Isaiah Steele.

He led Valley Vista in points (16) rebounds (11) and assists (three). Yousif scored Valley Vista's only four points in a sluggish first quarter.

That's not to say Yousif lacked help. After the Monsoon fell down 14-4 on Dakota Anderson's three-point shot early in the second quarter, Valley Vista's younger players stepped up.

They were joined by the team's other senior leader, point guard Tirrell Turner. He hit two threes to lead the second-quarter comeback, and Maas added another pair of treys. Northwest Christian led 24-23 at halftime.

"For the past couple of weeks we've been a disciplined team and that's helped us focus more," Yousif said.

Alexander drew the assignment on Dakota Anderson and spent the first half concentrating on defense and rebounding. He attacked more in the third quarter, scoring seven points and sinking a buzzer beater of his own.

In the waning moments of the third quarter, Alexander snared a long rebound and launched a 22-footer before the clock ran out. It hit the front of the rim, bounced off the backboard and dropped through the net to move the Monsoon ahead 37-36.

Alexander, Maas and junior forward Robert Bell have been a revelation for Valley Vista in this tournament. Alexander doubled up with eight points and eight rebounds. Maas stretched the defense, and had seven points. Bell added four points, four rebounds and two blocks.

Their improved play has lessened the burden on the senior trio of Yousif, Turner and Steele.

"It takes the pressure off the players who are known, that you're looking to count on" Yousif said. "Team chemistry, that's what it's all about. We play as a team and we win as a team."

Dakota Anderson had 13 points and Hayden Anderson added 10. Junior center Travis Linser — the type of wide-bodied banger that typically gives the skinny Monsoon squad trouble — worked inside for 13 points and seven rebounds.

These games will not help Valley Vista climb out of its spot near the bottom of the 5A-II power point standings — they don't count. But the confidence and chemistry built during this week could very well be the turning point for this team, and program.

Valley Vista is in its third varsity season and has steadily improved its play while going through two years of close losses, including a similar buzzer-beating trey by Ironwood that forced overtime in the first round of this tournament last year.

"We haven't experienced a lot of winning in our school's history, so it's a process. You've got to learn how to win, and I think you're seeing that coming," Anderson said. "We won a close game yesterday, and obviously today was a close game. Our next 13 region games are going to be close ones, so this is going to be great for our future."