SPRINGFIELD — Jake Lafferty has become such a likeable sort in SWMO basketball circles because of his free spirit and willingness to say whatever is on his mind.
The filter for his thoughts is usually wide open, as is the filter for his actions.
Lafferty’s split-second decision-making allowed him to go for a steal resulting in, what else, a dunk, in the final seconds of Sparta’s 43-40 Gold Division triumph against Greenwood at the Blue & Gold Tournament on Wednesday.
With Sparta (10-1) up 41-40 and Greenwood’s Colin Clark dribbling upcourt preparing to go for a game-winner for the Jays, Lafferty stole the ball from him at mid-court.
It was a daring risk few would take. Greenwood was in the bonus and Lafferty was playing with four fouls.
“I saw Colin dribble the ball really high and I thought I could steal it,” Lafferty said. “I decided, 'I'm going to take a gamble.' I knew I could get it. I had a deep-down feeling I could get it because it was such a high dribble.
“It was one of those (plays) that they can't call a foul on me,” he added. “I was so outside of (him) and the ball was so high in the air. If they would have called a foul, that would have been such a cheap foul.”
After his pick-pocket, Lafferty had a clear path to the basket for a two-handed dunk just before the final buzzer.
Lafferty’s steal and slam capped a memorable turn of events. His heroic play in the clutch also included a driving layup in between several Greenwood defenders to put Sparta up 41-40.
“This is what this tournament is all about, it's about the dramatics,” Sparta coach Deric Link said. "Kudos for our kids to keep playing and competing. In the Blue & Gold, you find out who are players and who aren’t. You keep battling and grinding and find out who is going to be the toughest at the end. You have to find a way to make plays.”
The Jays faltered down the stretch, missing four straight free throws in the final minute.
Greenwood (10-1) let a 40-36 lead slip away, as Lafferty scored the game’s final seven points.
Lafferty’s 29 points represent a customary effort. But how he went about getting 29 points was out of the ordinary.
SWMO’s premier player long ago proved his versatility by expanding his game to the perimeter. But he usually will post up in the paint for a portion of his points. By design, he never played with his back to the basket against Greenwood’s 1-2-2 zone, instead filling the role of a shooting guard.
“We watched (Greenwood) play Plattsburg and Plattsburg has a kid who is really good in Isaiah Howard,” Link said. “Whenever he was in the middle, they had three guys guarding him.”
“Them zone teams, they know how to clog the paint,” Lafferty said. “It would have been hard to score against that. If I had my back to the basket, they would have had four guys around me and it would have been hard to get me the ball.”
Lafferty’s stats line included 11-of-19 shooting, with five rebounds. He repeatedly had good looks from 3-point land, leading him to believe he should have had more than three treys.
"I thought I was way worse,” he said when told he was 11-of-19. “I thought I had a bad shooting day. I know I can shoot the 3. Every 3 I shot felt amazing. When I let that last one go (to pull Sparta within 40-39), I knew it was going in.”
The Trojans advance to the semifinal round at 4 p.m. today against No. 1 seed Springfield Central (7-1). The Bulldogs were in attendance for the Sparta-Greenwood game and were vocal in their support of Lafferty.
“We're a fun team to root for,” Lafferty said. “I know a few of those guys and have played with their best player (Waynesville transfer Tyrique Brooks).”
“I hope the game gets us ready for the teams we want to beat at the end of the year,” Link said. “This is big picture versus little picture. Little picture is we're going to play a 32-minute game against a really good Central team. The big picture is, 'How does the game help us improve for where we want to get to down the road?’”
