75-footer at buzzer gives Lely win over Naples

Photo by ROGER LALONDE

Roger LaLonde Staff Lely's Nick Ronquette (3) and Zach Gober (10) battle with Naples' Mark Karr for a loose ball in Lely's win over Naples on Tuesday night.

Photo by ROGER LALONDE

Lely's Nick Talko soars for a two-point basket in the Trojans overtime win over Naples, 64-61.

Photo by ROGER LALONDE

A couple of big boys, Naples' Mark Karr (35) and Lely's Cleafford Millien, battle for a jump ball to open the game on Tuesday night. Millien won the tip and Lely won the game in a wild overtime finish.

Photo by ROGER LALONDE

Roger LaLonde Staff (4) All eyes are on Lely's Nick Ronquette's three-point shot he made in the first quarter of the Trojans overtime win over Naples on Tuesday night. The Trojans won, 64-61, on a miraculous 75-foot heave by Ronquette as the first overtime ended.

Photo by ROGER LALONDE

Unusual for most basketball games, the crowd was filling up as it watched the JV game, won by Lely over Naples. It was jammed when Lely won in overtime in the varsity battle, 64-61.

The lid went off the Lely gym when Nick Ronquette's 75-foot fling went into the basket to give the Trojans a 64-61 overtime victory over Naples on Tuesday night.

The second half was a cliff hanger after Naples had built a 29-23 lead in the first half.

Lely powered back in the third quarter to take its own lead by four, 44-40.

The fans were beside themselves as the game stayed tight. With seven seconds to go Naples was ahead by two as Lely's Nick Talko hit a jump shot to tie the game, 54-54, sending the game into overtime.

In the overtime Naples again had the lead, 61-58 when Karbiel Dirogene tossed in a three-pointer to tie the game with 15 seconds left.

Naples worked for the last shot, but settled for a three-point try, which missed. Ronquette grabbed the ball from behind the Naples foul line, took one bounce and flung it.

"It was either going in or break the backboard," Lely coach Ryan Bowen said.

The win gives Lely a 3-1 mark with the win over rival Naples, the first two high schools in Collier County.

"We kept our composure to stay close in the second and take the lead in the third quarter," Bowen said. "Then again on defense and offense. Nick (Talko) and Karbiel hit crucial shots and Karbiel had a key block."

Talko finished with 16 points, Dirogene 15 and Ronquette 13. Cleaffiord Millien added nine points and key rebounds.

"It was a great game between two rivals," Bowen said. "People in the stands will never forget the 75-foot shot to win the game."