Mulherin’s game-winner lifts Blue Devils to overtime victory, sets up tourney title showdown

QUINCY — Sam Mulherin’s soft bank shot in the waning seconds of overtime was neither a fluke nor an accident.

Mulherin’s basket, a wide-open jumper just a few feet to the left of the hoop, wound up providing the margin of victory in the Quincy High School boys basketball team’s hard-earned 57-56 victory Friday night over St. Louis Miller Career Academy in the 51st QHS Thanksgiving Tournament.

Mulherin’s basket came with 19 seconds remaining, and following a Miller timeout once it got the ball to midcourt, the St. Louis team was unable to get a final shot off due to the pressure from a swarming Quincy defense.

Mulherin, a 6-foot-4 senior forward, said the play was designed for him to “clear out some space” to the left of the rim -— which he did quite well, thank you. In turn, that allowed teammate Bradley Longcor III an option of getting Mulherin the ball from the top of the key on the right side, or simply taking matters into his own hands.

Longcor pulled the trigger on a spot-on pass to Mulherin, who calmly drained what wound up being the game-winning shot.

“Everyone on this team works well together,” Mulherin said. “We’re all close friends.”

Quincy coach Andy Douglas praised the work of Longcor, who collected a game-high 20 points and was the only player to score in all four quarters and overtime.

“He’s the kind of player you want to have the ball in his hands — either to shoot it or pass it,” Douglas said. “He makes big plays.”

The Blue Devils’ victory sets up a 7 p.m. game Saturday against Springfield Lanphier, a matchup that will decide the tournament championship since both sit 2-0.

Lanphier blitzed Dixon 67-41 in Friday’s other game. Dixon (0-2) and Miller Career Academy (0-2) meet in a 5:30 p.m. game.

Quincy, seeking its third straight and 36th overall Thanksgiving Tournament title, has won eight straight in the event. The Blue Devils’ all-time record in their own tournament is 127-25.

Quincy’s one-point victory was its first since 1977 and fifth overall in the Thanksgiving Tournament.

Quincy was never able to shake Miller Career Academy, which used an 11-2 burst at the outset of the fourth quarter to take a 46-44 lead with a little less than four minutes to play. Neither school led by more than two points the remainder of regulation or overtime. 

The Blue Devils had trailed by as many as seven points (19-12) in the first half.

“We were probably a little overconfident,” Longcor said.

Douglas lauded the effort of Miller Career Academy.

“I don’t think we were overconfident,” he said. “I think (Miller) just came out and smacked us in the face.”

Douglas acknowledged big things are expected of this year’s QHS team, one that finished 28-6 a year ago and returns a boatload of experience.

“We do have guys with experience, but we’re still a young team,” he said.

Douglas believes the Blue Devils, who have 10 underclassmen among their 13 varsity players, should benefit from a game like Friday’s nailbiter.

“A game like this will help us find out what type of toughness we have,” he said. “We needed to go through some adversity.”

Ralph Wires, a 5-9 junior, was the only other Blue Devil in double figures with 11 points. Wires said he and his teammates appreciated the noise level in Blue Devil Gym.

“We could feel the energy from the crowd,” Wire said. “It fueled us.”

Keshaun Thomas, Quincy’s 6-6 middle man, put together a solid 9-point, 12-rebound game. Mulherin contributed eight points. 

Quincy outrebounded the Phoenix 35-27. Longcor, Camden Brown and Mulherin combined for an additional 12 boards in support of Thomas.

Longcor leads Quincy in tournament scoring with 34 points.

Charles Nelson, a 5-11 guard, led Miller Career Academy with 18 points, which included four 3-pointers.