Orting Cardinals Basketball Big Win

The last time the Orting High School boys basketball team experienced a league win was on February 2, 2011 when Issac Lewis hit a crazy turn around 20 foot three point shot to win a game at the buzzer. It was a game that was featured on ESPN’s top ten highlights. Since then Orting has moved up from 1A to 2A and is in the SPSL. It is a very competitive league that features powerhouse schools like White River, Clover Park, and Fife. Orting has had a tough time getting its first league win, but on Tuesday night in front of its home crowd the Cardinals were able to pull off a stunning victory against the Warriors of Clover Park. Trailing by nine at half Coach Brian Graham made some adjustments and kept encouraging his team to claw their way back in the game. The game came down to the last second. With a little over 20 seconds left in the game the Warriors had the ball and were looking to take the last shot. However, Jett Jones played intense defense on the Clover Park point guard and would not be shaken. He drew a five second turnover and Orting took possession. Orting then took a timeout and drew up its last possession. The play called in the huddle was for Jett Jones to take the last shot. However, a quick turnover with 10 seconds left found Clover Park chasing down the loose ball and taking a possible game winning layup. Marzio Burigana (foreign exchange student from Venice, Italy) stole the ball. With 2 seconds remaining, he took a couple dribbles and from thirty feet away shot a three pointer. The buzzer went off, the ball hit the backboard, and fell through the hoop. The team and fans went nuts, chasing down Marzio who was sprinting down the court in celebration. Coach Graham was so pleased with his boys efforts and sees it not only as a huge victory for this team, but also one the entire basketball program can take pride in. When asked about the last second shot he said, “I’m in shock, I just keep watching the video.” The teams leading scorers for the evening were Marzio with 14, and Max Boulanger and Jeremiah Stout with 11.