Look: Darrin Garrett sinks wild buzzer-beater to lift Stranahan over Pine Forest in Florida 5A state semifinals
LAKELAND, Fla. - Darrin Garrett scored the biggest two points of his life on Thursday afternoon.
With less than four seconds remaining in Stranahan's Class 5A semifinal matchup with Pine Forest, Garrett snagged an offensive rebound in the middle of the paint and quickly elevated and put it back up. The shot hit the front of the rim then bounced in as the buzzer sounded to give Stranahan a 61-60 victory over Pine Forest.
Those were Garrett's only two points of the game, but they sent the Mighty Dragons into the FHSAA 5A boys basketball state championship game.
"To be quite honest with you the ball just fell in my hands, and I took the shot, it just happened to go in and win the game,” Garrett said.
The Dragons trailed at halftime 24-19 and trailed 41-36 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Dragons were led by senior guard Tamarrien Thorpe who finished with a team-high 14 points. He was one of five Dragons to finish in double figures.
The Eagles were led by Ozell Purifoy who finished with a game-high 17 points and nine rebounds.
“We were right there ... I’m just so proud of how hard these guys fought,” Pine Forest head coach Tychius McCants said.
