Henry hits winning 3 in OT for St. Francis
LA CANADA >> The St. Francis boys basketball team needed some kind of spark coming off three straight losses.
The Golden Knights found that spark in Noah Henry.
The junior guard came off the bench to score a season-high 23 points that included a game-winning 3-pointer in a 74-71 overtime win against Chaminade in Mission League action on Friday night.
“I feel great,” Henry said immediately after the game. “I helped my team get the win, obviously, with the big shot at the end.”
That shot came with 17 seconds left in overtime. With the game tied at 71, Henry took a pass and dribbled to the free-throw line where he dished it to teammate Chris Kalachian who dribbled to the right side then the top of the key and back to the free-throw line. He then quickly stopped and fired a pass to the left wing to Henry who quickly but calmly put up a 3 that sailed into the basket.
“I was open and had been hitting all game,” Henry said of taking the shot. “So why not? Tie game, 17 seconds left so why not shoot it?”
Teammate Mazi Mosley, who scored a team-high 26 points, praised Henry's performance.
“Noah stepped up today huge,” Mosley said. “I'm proud of him.”
Chaminade (16-7, 0-3) had one last chance to tie it but it was Henry's tight perimeter defense that prevented Bryce Goldman from a getting a clean look at the basket from the top of the key. Goldman threw a shot up over Henry but it bounced out. Mosley then tipped the ball to Ethan Childs before Goldman could grab the miss. Time then expired.
Henry's game-winning shot was the most important of several critical baskets he made throughout the game. He opened the overtime period by hitting a layup to give the Golden Knights a 64-62 lead. He later made two free throws to extend the lead to 68-62.
After Chaminade's Jonas Thurman hit an NBA-range 3 to give the Eagles a 61-59 lead late in the fourth quarter, Henry returned the favor. He immediately hit a baseline 3 with 1:05 remaining to put St. Francis back up 62-61.
That was the second time in the game he countered a 3 from Chaminade with a 3 of his own. The first was in the third quarter when Henry hit a 3 to tie the game at 37.
“This was a game (Henry) will remember for the rest of his life,” said St. Francis coach Todd Wolfson. “He was phenomenal and locked in mentally. He was so good. Credit to (Henry) for stepping up his game. We needed it.”
Mosley continues to lead St. Francis. He drilled some key shots as well. He hit a layup and made a free throw to cap a 3-point-play with 1:59 left in overtime to give St. Francis a 71-64 lead. He also scored five straight points in the fourth quarter to give St. Francis a 5958 lead with 1:35 left after the Golden Knights trailed 58-54.
Chaminade was led by Thurman and Goldman. Thurman led all scorers with 30 points. He used his quick release and seemingly limitless range to hit six 3-pointers. Goldman scored 23 points but the tight St. Francis defense held him scoreless in overtime.
St. Francis (15-7, 1-2) avoids an 0-3 start in one of the most difficult and competitive leagues in all of California. The Mission League features the top-ranked team in CIF Southern Section Division 1 in HarvardWestlake, along with Sherman Oaks Notre Dame and Sierra Canyon, which are ranked fourth and fifth, respectively in the division. Crespi is ranked No. 1 in Division 2AA while Chaminade is ranked fifth in 2A.
“We're in Division 1 and we play with the big boys and tonight was a big boy team,” Wolfson said. “Credit to Chaminade. They were really ready for us and did a fantastic job. Every night for us is a battle and we're going to continue that for the rest of the season.”