STAC BOYS' BASKETBALL: THREE-QUARTER COURT SHOT, FURIOUS COMEBACK SPARKS CORNING WIN IN GAME FOR THE AGES (24 PHOTOS) (2025-02-04)

By Brian Fees
Southern Tier Sports Report
CORNING — A furious comeback.

A three-quarter court shot by ‘Clutch Kai.’

Over and over on Tuesday night the game appeared over for the Corning Hawks and over and over they fought back, before finally coming out on top 73-66 over Horseheads in double overtime.

“Great game,” Carter Proudfoot said. “Every game is a championship game and we have to play just as hard as we would against any team. Play together and when times get tough and we aren’t shooting good that’s the biggest time for us to come together and find ways to get to the hoop and get ourselves open and find ways to score. In the end of the game it’s about who wants it more.”

Nearly everyone on the Corning team came up with a clutch moment as the Hawks multiple times looked to be in no-win situations, before finding a way to win.

In regulation it was a tight game throughout. Corning used a 21-point second quarter to lead 32-23 at the half, but Horseheads outscored the Hawks 16-7 in the third to tie things and the game was back-and-forth throughout the fourth.

In the fourth the Blue Raiders started to pull away, going up by seven in the final minute.

Carter Proudfoot hit a big three in the fourth to get Corning back within three.

“I like to handle the pressure well,” Proudfoot said. “When they find the shot for me, it’s my job to hit it. So, I caught it. Squared up and was ready to hit the shot and when it left my hands I knew it was going in.”

Horseheads hit a free throw to go up four, and Proudfoot took another three and was fouled on the shot, nearly completing the four-point play.

Proudfoot went to the line and hit two free throws, purposely missing the fourth. Kyler Stevenson fought for the offensive board and got fouled, going to the line with under four seconds left needing to make both free throws to tie things. Stenson buried both sending the game into overtime.

In overtime the Blue Raiders, playing without Mason Holloway, who had fouled out with a team-high 20 points, took a three-point lead in the final minute of the overtime period.

Horseheads twice went to the line up three, but both times missed both free throws keeping it a one-possession game.

Still, it looked like the Blue Raiders would prevail as Corning took the ball with 2.3 seconds left, getting the ball to Makai Daniels.

Daniels took a few quick dribbles and launched a three-quarter court shot that went in sending the Corning student section into a frenzy.

“It was really crazy,” Daniels said.”I just threw it up there. As soon as I shot it I saw it go in the air a little bit and angle toward the rim and I thought that might be the one. I was suprrised. I was really surprised.

“It was crazy, it was like the first time it ever happened (the fans rushing the court after Daniels’ shot). Everyone was running out. I think they (the crowd) helped with the momentum in the game.”

For Corning’s players the shot was a magical moment.

“I turned and I went straight to my teammates,” Carter Proudfoot said. “I went straight to my teammates because we are in it together.

“Even I was getting picked up in the air and it wasn’t my shot.”

“They call him clutch Kai,” Nolyn Proudfoot said. “He’s always going to come through in the darkest moments of the game.

“As soon as he got past the first guy it was perfect, I knew it was going in.”

After making the big shot, the Hawks knew they had to close out the win in the second overtime.

“We had all the confidence going into the second overtime,” Daniels said. “We just had to go out there and play and trust in our teammates and we knew we were going to get it.”

In the second overtime Nolyn Proudfoot hit a huge three to put the Hawks ahead.

“I was pretty excited for that,” he said.

And, on a night where the Hawks didn’t shoot their best, they made some big shots down the stretch. Nolyn Proudfoot had seven points in the final quarter.

“I think we were a little bit down (Proudfoot said of when they trailed in the game). We had to get back in the timeout, slow down. The game was super intense. Coming into the game we were super confdient, we are still confident, but Horseheads, you never know what you are going to get, they are really well coached.

“It was a really big crowd tonight. I love playing in that environment. I didn’t shoot well at the beginning, but made some big plays in the end and we’ve got guys like Carter, Makai and Kyler who are just hustlers.”

On a day when shots weren’t always falling, Corning went 10-for-35 from three in the game, the Hawks got good balance, with seven players scoring, and Carter Proudfoot scoring 11 off the bench.

“We didn’t have a good shooting night,” Nolyn Proudfoot said. “But, obviously we have people like Carter, we have great people coming off the bench. Even though we aren’t shooting well I feel like down the stretch we kncoked down some big shots, we made some big plays. We got offensive rebounds, kickouts to him (Carter). He (Makai) hit the big three. Nobody is going to care about hte shots you miss at the beginning, it’s about the.ones at the end.”

Nolyn Proudfoot finished with a a double-double with 22 points and 13 rebounds. He had five offensive boards. He also had three assists.

Teigen Gill had 12 points and six boards and Carter Proudfoot had 11 points and five boards, with two assists.

Kohl HOgue had 10 points with four boards, two steals and an assist, with two steals, and Daniels had eight points, seven boards, two steals and an asssist.

Stevenson had eight points, seven boards, four assists and two steals and Jeremy Spears had two points and three rebounds.

Holloway led Horseheads with 20 points and he had five boards and Miles Woodhouse had 16 points and five rebounds.

Johnny Durr had a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds and Kegan Zeller had four points and seven boards.

Trevor Klug had five points and two rebounds and Jack Fesetch had five points and four rebounds, getting all his points on 5-for-6 shooting from the line.

Griffin Stevens had a point and two rebounds.
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PHOTOS BY BRIAN FEES

PHOTO GALLERY FROM THE GAME WITH SOME JV SHOTS.


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