A last-second potential game-winning shot leaves the hand of Lawrence High's Bobby Davis during the last seconds of regulation of Saturday's game against Free State. The shot sailed long, but the Lions went on to defeat the Firebirds in overtime.

Was there ever any doubt, really, who would make “The Shot” Saturday night in a closely contested city showdown between Lawrence High and Free State High?

The impossible, guarded fade-away three-pointer that would send Lawrence’s boys basketball team to a thrilling 74-64 come-from-behind, overtime victory over Free State?

Actually, the man who sank the shot — Lions point guard Dorian Green — said, yes, there was plenty of doubt.

“I thought it was left or right, but I didn’t think it was going to be good at all,” said Green of his absurdly difficult, game-tying three with 12 seconds remaining in regulation. “We got a lucky little roll there.”

It may be better to be lucky than good, but Green was both Saturday at Free State.

The play in question began with 23.2 seconds left, when Free State’s Eric Watson hit one of two free throws to hand the Firebirds a 63-60 advantage.

Green brought the ball up, dribbled to the right side of the court and let fly a step-back three with Firebirds guard Connor Monarez’s hand in his face. The shot dropped, tying the score at 63.

It gave Green 24 points on the night. He finished with 26, one below his season average.

“He’s a confident young man, and he should be,” Lions coach Chris Davis said. “He’s proved himself over and over and over. What am I gonna do, stop that? It went down the way it was supposed to go down.”

Free State coach Chuck Law certainly couldn’t find fault in his defender.

“Connor played the best basketball game he’s ever played for us,” Law said. “I haven’t seen all of Lawrence High’s games, but I would speculate that Connor guarded Dorian as well as anybody has guarded him all season. It was an incredible shot, an unbelievable play.”

LHS actually had a shot to win in regulation when Lions guard Bobby Davis forced a travel on Firebirds guard Jake Miller in the backcourt with four seconds left. Green then found Davis open in the corner for three, but the shot sailed long at the buzzer, and the game went to overtime.

In OT, Lions guard Lance Kilburn provided the big blow. He buried a three-pointer near the top of the key off a feed from Green to give Lawrence a 66-63 lead with 2:39 left in overtime.

The game wasn’t nearly over, but it sure felt that way.

“Dorian’s shot turned the tide, and that just ended it, I think,” Kilburn said of his three. “That just put a damper on them. They were done after that.”

As it turned out, the Firebirds (1-4) were. Kilburn’s three proved to be the game-winner.

Free State’s relatively inexperienced lineup did not make a field goal in the four-minute extra session. Only a Nick Hassig free throw with 17.5 seconds left saved the Firebirds from a shutout.

Lawrence (4-2), meanwhile, piled it on in overtime. Following Kilburn’s three, Lions center Paul Eltschinger netted a putback for a five-point lead. Green, Kilburn and Marcus Ray then each made two free throws, and the Lions outscored the Firebirds 11-1 in overtime.

Hassig, who kept the Firebirds in the game with 12 first-half points, led Free State with 19. Despite sitting out a 10-minute stretch in the second half with four fouls, Miller added 17.

Kilburn tallied 17 points for Lawrence, and Davis contributed 10.

Green’s game-tying three-pointer ignited a 14-0 Lions run.

Fittingly, the game ended with the ball in Green’s hands, as he dribbled out the clock near midcourt.

“He’s an incredible player,” Law said. “That will just be another thing that goes down in the ever-growing legend of Dorian Green. That’s what great players do.”