Champion’s Baeden Burdick hit the biggest shot of the season for the Chargers basketball team Tuesday night when they tangled with Leander in the first round of the 5A playoffs at Dripping Springs.
Champion was trailing by a point with time winding down and as the Chargers worked for a shot, the ball ended up in the hands of Burdick, who tossed in the game winner at the buzzer to secure a 36-35 victory over the Lions.
Burdick’s bucket capped a 5-0 run by the Chargers to end the game after they were down 35-31 with a minute left but rallied for the win.
Champion played Harlandale Friday in the second round where Chargers head coach Chris Adamek faced his old team as did assistant Jaime Lira, who used to play for Adamek at Harlandale. Champion was 29-5 overall entering Friday’s game.
Adamek gave credit to his team for Tuesday’s come-from-behind win, especially to Burdick for sinking the game winner. The sophomore sat the whole second half and only entered in the final 7.4 seconds of the game after Braden Baum fouled out.
“The guys just didn’t give up and I’m thankful we’re still getting to play,” Adamek said. “I had to put (Burdick) in after Baum fouled out. He had been sitting the entire second half and came in and made that move to the baseline and shot a tough 12-foot floater. That thing bounced around and hit the rim five times and then went down.”
At one point, Leander had pulled ahead 35-31 after going 1 for 2 at the line with about a minute left but then had two turnovers on its next two possessions. Charlie Georgelos made the Lions pay after he knocked down a 3-pointer with 17.6 seconds remaining to cut it to one at 35-34.
Champion had only accumulated four team fouls at that point and had to start fouling to get the Lions into the bonus and at the free-throw line to stop the clock.
Baum, Georgelos and then Baum accounted for the final three fouls that took 10 seconds off the clock, but the 7th team foul was also Baum’s fifth, so he had to leave the game with 7.4 ticks left.
Adamek took the full minute allowed before bringing in Burdick. The Lions were at the free-throw line and missed the front end of the 1 and 1 situation. The Chargers rebounded and went the other way. Two Champion players touched the rock before it ended up in the hands of Burdick who nailed the game winner to advance the Chargers to the next round and break Leander’s heart, all with one shot.
“He’s going to remember that shot the rest of his life,” Adamek said.
Burdick only finished with 2 points in the game, but every point counted. Quinn Grable led the Chargers in scoring with 10, Georgelos finished with 9, Baum scored 8, Dakarai Hodge tallied 4 and Mason Wyatt hit a 3 in the third quarter.
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