By Kyle Valentine
It took two intense overtimes to decide the nailbiter between Springfield Central High School and Pope Francis High School in the 2026 Panini Hoophall Classic. To even get to overtime, it needed a buzzer beater.
Junior guard Zy’ere Brown jumped as high as he could to get a missed three from his teammate Aden Cabrera. Jumping over two defenders, Brown was able to come away with the ball over two Cardinal defenders and put the ball back towards the net all in one jump. Brown’s shot fell as the buzzer sounded, sparking the crowd to let out a roar, jumping to their feet as the Golden Eagles celebrated with one another.
However, Pope Francis ended that momentum in the second overtime after a three point shot to win the game with seconds left fell short for Springfield Central. Cardinals guard Sam Brigham explained how the atmosphere is what makes the Hoophall Classic special.
“It’s super fun,” Brigham said. “Personally, I think it makes the game way more fun.”
Brigham showed out in front of a jammed packed Blake Arena having scored 30 points, seven rebounds, and three assists giving him the games MVP.
This is not unfamiliar territory for Brigham when it comes to Hoophall Classic showdowns. Last year, Brigham was in the same scenario against Holyoke, a double overtime nailbiter. That game would end up in the Cardinals favor with a 77-74 win.
“I think it’s something about this place,” Brigham said. “I’m a competitor. I just want to win, so anything that’ll help us win the game.”
For Springfield Central, a 31 point performance wouldn’t be enough to overcome Pope Francis. Tahir Bey, the team’s senior forward, saw success on both sides of the ball. Defensively, he blocked three shots and had one steal to go along with his offensive success, posting 31 points and 14 rebounds.
“It’s hard, we got a tough loss,” Bey said. “Those guys are a pretty good team, they play in our conference so we are going to see them again.”
Despite missing head coach Bill Watson who is serving a suspension, coach Jordan Almore stepped in and guided the Golden Eagles to a great gameplan.
“Coach punched defense into our minds,” Bey said. “Offensively, I had to do what we needed to do.”
Even after taking multiple leads over Pope Francis, simple mistakes and questionable calls cost Springfield Central a chance at winning in front of a home crowd. With under a minute left in the fourth quarter, Springfield Central’s Allen Miranda stole an inbound pass from Pope Francis and saw nothing but open court and the basket. However, a foul was called on Miranda, stopping the opportunity and giving possession back to Pope Francis. After that, the game was sent into overtime.
“We had small mistakes,” Almore said. “It came down to execution and we were not able to execute.”
The physical battle between the teams had everyone on edge, both in the crowd and on the court. Both teams respect one another, as they each gave all ounces of energy and intensity in the game.
“They played terrific tonight,” Pope Francis head coach Justin Dalessio said of his opponents. “I would bet 95% of the crowd thought Central was going to win.”
Dalessio is proud of his team for what they did today. Having to come back to force overtime not only once but twice is not a small feat.
“I just told the kids to take a breath and relax,” Dalessio said. “This game came down to who had the ball last and we were in the same situation last year.”
(Photo by Ty Sanges/The Student)