Bangor buzzer-beater ‘unbelievable’ Rams defeat Deering in final second

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BANGOR – From the eyes of the player who made it all possible, Joe Campbell’s Instant Classic was a blur.

“I saw the arms,” said sophomore guard Zak Ray, who spent the last three seconds of the state Class A championship game with an obstructed-view seat: He was flat on his butt, watching his off-balance potential game-winning shot fall just short. “I didn’t see the person. I just saw the arms. And he tipped it in.”

The Tip, or whatever people call Joe Campbell’s shot in 30 or 40 or 50 years, wasn’t really a tip. Remember that, when your dog chews up your tape of the game and all you’ve got to go on is your own faded memories of one of Maine’s most spectacular high school basketball finishes.

It was a rebound. And a shot. With a half twist. And it was Campbell’s second chance to be a hero in a span of five seconds. And it gave Bangor a 57-56 victory over Deering of Portland on Saturday night at the Bangor Auditorium.

“I reverse dribbled and got stripped,” Campbell said, explaining the first chance. The chance that didn’t work. The opportunity that made the second play so unexpected. And exciting.

“I don’t even know how we got it back,” the 6-foot-5 senior said.

That’s because when Ray darted in front of Deering’s Derek Raymond – the same guy who’d just stolen the ball from Campbell … the same guy who was turning to dribble upcourt and celebrate a state title, Campbell was flat on his back.

After giving up the ball, he fell, did a little backward roll and ended up underneath the hoop. Campbell quickly hopped back to his feet, and started to run toward the foul line.

“I don’t even know where I was,” Campbell said, trying to rely on a memory that hadn’t been enhanced by watching a videotape of a play he’ll be asked about forever.

“But all of a sudden, Zak was shooting it, and I was right there. And I just shot it up. It went in,” he said. “It was pretty lucky.”

Campbell, the lone player in the key area, tracked Ray’s errant jumper to the left side of the rim, leapt for it, and converted it into an acrobatic reverse layup just before the buzzer sounded.

And then?

“I was mobbed,” Campbell said. “The fans rushed, and the celebration began.”

It may have stopped by the time you read this. It may not have.

While Campbell chooses the word “lucky” to describe the play, there are plenty of other adjectives that work just as well.

Teammate Jim Shea, like a lot of the fans who watched the Rams upend heavily favored Deering at the Bangor Auditorium, settles on “unbelievable.”

“I just saw the shot go up. Joe caught it. He threw it up, blindfolded,” Shea said. “I can’t even imagine it.”

Deering star Jamaal Caterina has another way to describe the strange finish.

“It was chaos,” Caterina said. “Most of my teammates thought the game was over. Most of them were already running toward the bench when the shot went up.

“It’s just something unexplainable that happens in life,” he said.

Bangor coach Roger Reed has seen plenty of exciting plays in his 30 years. But he ranked Campbell’s shot as the most surprising outcome he’s ever witnessed.

“I can’t say I’ve ever been in a situation like that,” Reed said. “Ever.

“There’s no way you knew that was going to happen in this game,” Reed said.

Senior Joe Vanidestine said that despite the thrilling finish, he really wasn’t too surprised when Campbell scored the game-winner.

“Joe does amazing things in practice every day,” Vanidestine said. “That one just happened to win the state game. So he timed it up pretty good.”

Campbell agreed that his timing was good.

“You always see it on TV and you’ll see it on the replays, but you never think you’ll be a part of that,” he said softly. “Of a moment like that.”

Forty minutes after the game, Bangor fans still milled around on the auditorium floor, reluctant to let that moment fade. Players from the past and present shared quiet words. Coaches and teachers, parents and fans hugged, kissed, and kept asking one question.

Have you ever seen anything like that?

Shea had the answer.

“I don’t think I have,” he said, before shaking his head and sharing another common sentiment.

“I’ll remember that for the rest of my life.”