Andover Sinks Royal Oak With Last-Second Shot

BLOOMFIELD HILLS – A battle for first place in the Oakland Activities Association Blue division came down to one shot Tuesday night.

With 4.0 seconds left on the clock, Shannon Wilson hit a one-handed jumper fading to the baseline to give an emotional 36-35 win over Royal Oak High School.

“In my mind, I felt like I had to make it,” Wilson said. “It felt great. Words can’t even explain right now what I’m feeling.”

The sophomore hit the shot with the Ravens’ defense collapsing in and a defender inches from her face.

“We were right there; we guarded it as well as we possibly could have,” Royal Oak coach Brian Sopata said. “When you look at how we guarded her all night we didn’t give her anything easy. She made a big shot at a big time.”

Wilson scored five of her 15 points in the final minute. She initially had a chance to put the Barons ahead with 22 seconds left by driving down the lane for a floater that bounced off the back of the rim.

The Ravens (14-2; 12-2 Blue) turned over the ball on the ensuing possession when Lizzie Girardot was called for a five-second violation trying to inbound the ball.

“It’s tough,” Sopata said. “At that point in the game, you absolutely have to execute. We didn’t and they did.”

It was Royal Oak’s third turnover in the final minute of the game. The miscues helped Andover erase a 35-29 deficit in the final 90 seconds.

Jamie Lederman also lent a hand. The junior did a little bit of everything in the final eight minutes and scored 10 of her 12 points in the quarter. She also had a couple of key rebounds and picked up a steal with just less than a minute to go.

“Lederman has done that to us for the last two years. She just has a way of stepping up when it matters,” Sopata said. “She hit a couple big elbow jumpers and an offensive rebound put-back was gigantic for them.”

Ravens leading scorer was a nonfactor in the fourth quarter. She scored 11 of her team’s 18 points in the first half, propelling it to an 18-6 lead. But the junior – – finished the game with only 14 points

Andover (14-1; 12-1 OAA Blue) did a tremendous job limiting Stormont's touches in the second half. She only had three shots and didn’t score a single field goal after halftime. All three of her points came from the free throw line. 

The loss dropped Stormont to 0-5 in head-to-head matchups with Wilson, but Royal Oak’s futility against the Barons goes back further than that.

“They’ve had our number for six years,” Sopata said.

During that stretch, the Ravens have only one win over Andover. Royal Oak’s . Both teams came into the game with identical 12-1 records in the Blue division.

Andover’s victory keeps it in the driver’s seat for a division title with two weeks left in the regular season.

“We needed one more play,” Sopata said. “If that ball doesn’t go in, we are the ones celebrating.”

Sopata thought his team gave a terrific effort and let his kids know as much after the game.

“My girls laid it all on the line tonight,” Sopata said. “I told them to keep their heads up. I’m so proud of them. This is the best team in Royal Oak girls basketball history. I’m extremely proud of their effort.

"Right now this hurts, but at some point you're going to realize you played a heck of a game.”