Barker’s late 3-pointer completes Payson Seymour’s upset of No. 7-ranked New Berlin

PAYSON, Ill. — Lane Barker was not designed to take the last shot.

Fortunately, he did.

Barker, a 5-foot-8 sophomore guard, buried a 3-point field goal from the left corner with 2.4 seconds to play Wednesday night, sending Payson Seymour to a 41-38 upset of New Berlin in the Class 1A regional semifinals.

New Berlin (26-7) entered the game ranked No. 7 in the final Associated Press Class A state poll. Payson Seymour now is 17-15.

“I felt pretty good after I let the shot go,” Barker said. “I was confident.”

Barker’s high, arching bull’s-eye found nothing but net.

Second-year Indians coach Tyler Duschinsky felt Barker’s bomb was a win-win proposition.

“When that ball went up, I knew Lane had a good chance of making it,” he said. “The worst-case scenario? He misses, and we go to overtime.”

Barker was a distant second option on the way the play was designed.

“The plan was for Bryan (Dieker) to get himself open and take a shot, but he wound up creating an opportunity for Barker,” Duschinsky said. “I trust our kids to make the right decisions.”

Dieker drove the right side of the lane, and when New Berlin defenders closed in and cut him off, he fired a right-handed pass along the baseline out to Barker, who set himself and let go with what proved to be the game-winner. A last-gasp New Berlin attempt from near midcourt was well off the mark as time expired.

“Our kids have a lot of trust in one another,” Duschinsky said.

Payson Seymour advances to the regional championship game at 7 p.m. Friday against Triopia, which upset Griggsville-Perry in Tuesday’s second game 56-53 in overtime.

New Berlin led 26-22 at halftime, but Payson Seymour gained control of both the tempo and momentum in the third quarter. A patient approach on offense and an effective 1-2-2 spread zone kept the Pretzels in check. The Indians held New Berlin scoreless until the final seconds of the third period when the Pretzels’ Gannon Dodd, a 6-4 left-hander, swished a 3-pointer from a step inside half-court just before the buzzer. Dodd led all scorers with 25 points.

Payson Seymour led for most of the second half, although a 7-0 New Berlin run over the final three minutes tied the game 38-38, setting the stage for Barker’s game-winner.

“At halftime, coach told us just to keep our heads up,” said Barker, who finished with nine points, the result of three 3-pointers. “He assured us we could play with those guys.”

Dieker (11) and Wyatt Neisen (10) combined for 21 of Payson’s points. Dieker led the Indians’ rebounders with seven. New Berlin outrebounded Payson 26-20.

“This is a big win for our community and a big win for the program,” Duschinsky said.