Boys basketball: Plummer plagues Tigers

The Chamberlain guard uses a last-second basket to sneak past Middleton - again.

By KEITH NIEBUHR
Published January 12, 2008

TAMPA - If Middleton never faces Mike Plummer again, that would be just fine with the Tigers.

Six weeks after sinking a free throw with less than a second left to lead his team past Middleton, the Chamberlain guard struck again.

But this time, he did it with the deep ball.

As the clock neared zero Friday night, Plummer took a pass and, with a defender in his face, drained a 3-pointer from the left wing to give the Chiefs a thrilling 66-63 win at Middleton in a game between Class 5A, District 10 foes.

"All I remember is hitting the shot and my teammates tackling me," Plummer said.

That shot was a microcosm of Plummer's four-quarter effort. The 5-foot-9 senior made six 3-pointers and scored a game-high 25 points.

"That's the best he's shot it in two years," Chiefs coach Doug Aplin said.

Chamberlain (10-4, 9-2 in the district) led 53-40 late in the third quarter before Middleton (12-5, 7-3) mounted a furious rally.

Behind forward Jay Bowie (22 points) and guard Alphonso Sheppard (21), the Tigers tied it at 63 with 1:20 left, then got the ball right back with a steal.

"We were just trying to get a good shot," Tigers coach Derek Smith said.

It never came. Before they could shoot, the Tigers turned it over.

From there, Chamberlain held the ball before calling a timeout with 9 seconds left on the clock. Aplin called for an option play, in which point guard Dantavis Adkins could drive to the basket or dish to one of two players, one being Plummer.

With time winding down, he found Plummer in the corner.

"We didn't want him to shoot it," Smith said. "Anybody but him."

[Last modified January 11, 2008, 23:38:07]