Kentridge’s championship reign ends after Dubois’ 3-pointer beats buzzer

Madison Dubois tried to recreate the dramatic shot, even though he had no clue where her feet were.

When informed she was past the dotted line, her face lit up.

“Isn’t that the NBA (3-point) line?” she asked excitedly. “Well, I had to get open.”

Championship reigns weren’t meant to be ruined by dramatic plays, but that is how Kentridge’s year-long run as Class 4A state girls champs ended Thursday.

Dubois’ 23-foot shot from the left-center arc beat the buzzer, and helping fifth-ranked Woodinville knock out the No. 3 Chargers in overtime, 55-54, in a thrilling state quarterfinal game at the Tacoma Dome.

The game-winner sent the Falcons into a cheering frenzy near midcourt while the stunned Kentridge players stared at the basket in disbelief.

“They got the ball to one of their kids (Dubois) that they wanted,” Kentridge coach Bob Sandall said. “(She) hit a big shot. Good for them. They executed down the stretch. We did, too.”

Kentridge had to battle back from an eight-point deficit midway through the fourth quarter just to get it to an extra session.

And Jaquaya Miller, who led all scorers with 21 points, looked to set up a Chargers’ comeback victory in overtime when she hit two free throws with 26.7 seconds remaining, give her team a 54-52 lead.

Woodinville coach Scott Bullock said the initial plan on the final possession was to set up a lob play to ninth grader Mia Hughes, who had a team-high 19 points and nine rebounds.

It didn’t work. Eventually, Kentridge knocked the ball out of bounds near the Falcons’ basket with less than three seconds remaining.

“I had no timeouts left,” Bullock said. “At that point, they were scrambling all over the floor.”

Before Dubois hit the final shot, she had to direct traffic for an inbounds play called, “Four Across.” She told teammates where to screen for her so she could get an open look.

“Everyone from (Kentridge) was like, ‘No 3s, no 3s,’” Dubois said. “And then I got open for one.”

Regan Schenck fed Dubois a bullet just beyond the NBA line, and her flat 3-pointer hit nothing but net.

“That is the biggest shot I’ve had on the big stage,” Dubois said.

This story was originally published March 1, 2018 at 4:01 PM with the headline "Kentridge’s championship reign ends after Dubois’ 3-pointer beats buzzer."