Victory!

That’s what West coach Stan Fratz called out to his ninth-grade boys basketball team in the final minutes of the fourth quarter of the Warhawk Invitational championship game against Overland Park Aquinas last Thursday night at West Junior High.

The play is four players across the bottom of the formation, and with Aquinas in a box-and-one West guard Christian Nelson, that left the corners and low-post areas wide open.

The Warhawks took advantage.

Trailing by two early in the final period, Nick Jaimez took a pass in the left corner and swished a three-point shot to give West a one-point lead and momentum.

After trailing for most of the game, the shot boosted the Warhawks’ spirits, and they held off a tough challenge from Aquinas to win the game, 44-43.

“Those guys come up big,” Frantz said. “I give them the freedom to take the big shots – that’s how I coach these guys. They hit big shots when they need to. I’m so proud of this group. They hung in there.”

Jaimez’s shot put the Warhawks in the lead, 40-39, but Aquinas promptly answered with a score of its own. West’s Evan Sloan answered right back as he sliced through the Saints’ defense to give the Warhawks a 42-41 lead.

After an Aquinas turnover, Frantz called out “Victory!” one more time. This time Michael Swank hit a shot from inside, pushing the Warhawks’ lead to 44-41 with less than four minutes remaining.

The two teams’ defenses stiffened until Aquinas cut the lead to one with less than two minutes to play. Afte a West turnover, Aquinas called timeout with 22 seconds left to play.

On the ensuing possession, Aquinas ran the clock down and took a shot that missed. Jaimez grabbed the board, forcing the Saints to foul.

But the Saints had only four team fouls, and precious seconds ticked away as they had to foul repeatedly to put West at the free-throw line to get the ball back.

Nick Jaimez’s one-and-one free throw missed, and Aquinas grabbed the rebound and quickly called timeout with five seconds left, setting up a dramatic finish.

Knowing that Aquinas had to travel the length of the floor in only a few seconds, Frantz knew that aspect was in his favor. But having just watched Southwest go down on a buzzer beater, made for some tense moments in the huddle.

“I knew they were probably going to get a half-court shot off,” Frantz said. “But I was just hoping we’d play good enough defense.”

West (19-1) couldn’t foul because that would have put Aquinas in the bonus, so they used man pressure to disrupt the Saints’ last possession.

Aquinas inbounded the ball and raced up the court. But the Saints’ desperation shot from just inside half-court fell short, and the Warhawks’ players, coaches and fans celebrated in a mob scene at center court.

Swank, who led the Warhawks with 10 points, said even though his team trailed most of the game, he never doubted himself or his team.

“I knew we had the better squad, more athletic,” Swank said. “We just had to come out and play our game, take control. It’s our court, We’re playing for a championship. I knew we’d come out and take care of business.”

While in the final huddle and the outcome of the game on the line, the Warhawks’ fans waited anxiously, many of them having already witnessed Southwest’s last-second defeat. But Jaimez said in the huddle the team remained confident.

“You can’t think that,” Jaimez said of Southwest’s earlier defeat. “If you come out thinking you’re gonna to win, it’s gonna happen.”

After falling short last season at the Warhawk Invitational, West’s victory earned it the Warhawk Invitational championship three of the last four years.

“It felt good to take that back,” Swank said.