Duhe hits game winner as time expires to lift Rummel past Northshore

WESTWEGO – It’s not how you start but how you finish.

In the semifinals of the State Bracket of the Allstate Sugar Bowl National Prep Classic, Archbishop Rummel started well before Northshore established the edge Friday night. The finish for the Raiders was even better.

Rummel junior TJ Duhe connected on a leaner over two defenders in the lane as time expired to give the Raiders a thrilling 45-44 victory over Northshore at the Alario Center.

BOYS’ STATE (Final)
Rummel defeats Northshore 45-44 at the buzzer@SugarBowlNola #onlylouisiana pic.twitter.com/EC3FvFPni2

— Allstate Sugar Bowl National Prep Classic (@sbprepclassic) January 6, 2024

Rummel had possession out of a timeout with 11 seconds remaining. Duhe got the ball at the top of the circle, spun his way into the lane and left-handed up a leaner in traffic which went through for the game winner.

The winning basket capped a dramatic rally by the Raiders, who trailed 44-39 with 1:01 to play in the game.

Rummel forced a pair of turnovers, Denim Smith hit a big 3-pointer and two free throws to provide the opportunity for Duhe to win it.

“I’ve got to credit my teammates,” Duhe said. “Every time I shoot I have confidence that it is going in. This team knows how to deal with adversity. We go through it every day at practice, preparing us and my teammates did a great job.”

Raiders coach Scott Thompson liked Duhe taking the last shot.

“We love TJ having the ball in his hands in that situation,” Thompson said. “He made the right decision and he got it to go down.”

The game started like it may be a blowout as the Raiders came out smoking, scoring the first 11 points of the game.

Northshore employed a 2-3 zone defense which worked very well and the Panthers gradually chipped away at the deficit and trailed 12-8 after one quarter. The Panthers continued their run to take a 19-17 halftime lead.

Rummel opened the third quarter on an 8-2 run to take a 25-21 in the third quarter before the Panthers went on a 12-0 run and took a 33-27 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Raiders cut the deficit to 33-32 in the fourth quarter but Northshore responded and took a 42-36 lead with just under two minutes to play, setting the stage for the final run by Rummel.

Duhe had 10 points for Rummel while Smith led the Raiders with 15 points, including a trio of 3-pointers. Ja’Mard Jones had 13 points. Evan Giarratano was in foul trouble throughout and fouled out in the fourth quarter for Rummel.

“Northshore is an extremely talented, extremely well coached team with Josh Carlin,” Thompson said. “They gave us tremendous problems with their size and length. They hurt us with the zone. We finally got some looks that we liked and Denim hit a couple of big shots. Ultimately, with the team defense down the stretch, we gave ourselves a chance. I’m proud of the way the guys executed in the final three or four minutes of the game. The warrior stays in the fight for things to change until you can strike and we did so in just enough time.”

Tyrie Spencer led the Panthers with 12 points while London Lee had 10 points. Dawson Knox was in foul trouble throughout before fouling out in the fourth quarter with nine points.

The Raiders (13-7) advance to the championship game of the state bracket for the second straight year and will face Country Day in the final at 5 p.m. Saturday in a game you can watch live on CrescentCitySports.com. Rummel lost to district rival Jesuit

The Cajuns (12-5) defeated John F. Kennedy 53-37 in the other semifinal matchup.

“This year, we’re coming back stronger, for sure,” Duhe said.

FINAL
Rummel 12 5 10 18 — 45
Northshore 8 11 14 10 — 43