Bishop Brady comes back in final moments to beat Portsmouth in D2 boys basketball final

DURHAM – No one from the Bishop Brady High School boys basketball team seemed to remember how the biggest play of Saturday’s Division II championship game unfolded.

Jourdain Bell was at the other end of the floor, and he wasn’t sure how the Giants ended up with the ball. Bishop Brady coach Cole Etten figured he’d have to watch the film to see exactly how it played out.

All Joe Bell knew was that with time winding down, he ended up with the ball and a clear path to the basket. The Bishop Brady junior didn’t hesitate in driving to the hoop and laid the ball in with four seconds left to give the No. 3 Giants a 58-56 win over No. 1 Portsmouth at the University of New Hampshire.

“It all happened so fast, I’d have to go back and watch it,” Etten said. “We wanted to make sure we had our rotations defensively and we had help defense. You always anticipate a ball screen or something like that, so we wanted to make sure we hedged off that. We were fortunate enough to get a steal.”

After Jourdain Bell tied the game for the Giants (18-4) at 56 on a 3-pointer with 32 seconds remaining, Portsmouth (20-2) called a timeout with 12.4 seconds left to set up a play.

But the inbounds pass was deflected by Bishop Brady’s Brendan Johnson, who got the ball to Aaron Svendsen at midcourt. With a Portsmouth player on him, Svendsen found Joe Bell going to the basket for the game-winner.

“The last bucket to win, it was like a miracle,” Joe Bell said. “I said put it in the basket. That was the only thing I was thinking. It’s an unreal experience and it doesn’t feel legit. It’s crazy. I just knew it was right there and I took it.”

The game was there thanks largely to the fourth-quarter play of Jourdain Bell, as he scored 13 of his 27 points in the final eight minutes, including 11 after Portsmouth had taken a nine-point lead with 4:03 left in the game. Bell made three 3-pointers, two of which came in the final 1:30 with Bishop Brady down six points.

“In the moment, I thought I could hit them, so I went for it,” Jourdain Bell said. “I felt like it was something I needed to try to do because Portsmouth was clogging it up in the lane. If I can’t get to the basket as a basketball player, I should be able to shoot.”

While the Giants were doing everything right down the stretch, Portsmouth opened the door for them with a couple of missed opportunities.

“It had to be perfect for them, they had to make every shot they took, and we had to miss every shot and throw the ball away at the end,” Portsmouth coach Jim Mulvey said. “They accomplished it, and that’s a credit to them. They deserve it.

“When we’re up six points, I’m supposed to win those games. If they got any one thing in the last minute, it has to go perfect, and imperfect for us. Every single thing.”

With 1:45 to play, Shon Parham stole the ball from Jourdain Bell after a defensive rebound and Parham was fouled by Svendsen on a made layup. But Parham missed the free throw and Bell made a 3 at the other end to cut the Clippers’ lead in half.

Christian Peete was fouled at the other end, but missed the front end of a one-and-one and the Giants got the rebound. A jump shot by Matt Quirk came up short for Bishop Brady and Peete got the rebound and was fouled again.

But again, Peete missed the free throw and Johnson grabbed the rebound, eventually finding Bell in the corner for the game-tying 3.

“They were bombs, but credit to him,” Mulvey said of Bell’s 3-pointers. “If he can make them in that situation, he’s pretty good.”

It’s something Etten has become accustomed to seeing, even in just one season as the Giants head coach.

“He hit some big ones for us and it gave us some momentum,” the coach said. “We needed something to get us going, and those 3s, we were able to keep it going. Jourdain is a great player.”

Portsmouth got out to a 10-point lead in the first quarter, as Bishop Brady battled early-game jitters. The Giants turned the ball over eight times, leading to 12 points for the Clippers.

“Especially in the first quarter, we looked a little nervous out there,” Etten said. “We had a couple of turnovers that we usually don’t make. We stuck together as a team and the guys played a terrific game. They stuck together and they never quit, and that’s what got us to victory at the end.”

Bishop Brady went on a 13-5 run in the second to cut the Portsmouth lead down to two points, and took its first lead, 28-27, on two free throws from Johnson with 1:29 left in the first half.

But a free throw by Cody Graham (team-high 17 points) and a basket by De’Vonn Wilson-Miles put the Clippers ahead 30-28 going into halftime.

Portsmouth got ahead by as many as six in the third quarter, and after Bishop Brady tied the game at 43 early in the fourth, the Clippers went on a 9-0 run to lead 52-43.

“We were down enough that it was scary,” Jourdain Bell said. “Something that I’ve always tried to do, whether it’s basketball or not, is stay calm in pressure situations.”

Bell as calm and executed when it counted Saturday, and it helped Bishop Brady win its first championship since 1997.

“It’s a pretty cool feeling, but the guys worked so hard this year,” Etten said. “They deserved this in the end because they worked so hard. I’m proud of all of them.”