BATH TWP.: Revere had everything working against it Thursday night.
A tough draw matched the Minutemen up with No. 4 seed St. Vincent-St. Mary, and then they fell behind early. Yet, the toughest obstacle shook not just the team, but the community as a whole.
After learning of the passing Wednesday of her mother, Betsy, senior guard Emily Brock was tasked with not only overcoming her emotions, but leading the Minutemen to a Division II sectional final victory. If just for one night, she accomplished both, helping Revere finish off a thrilling 58-57 comeback win.
“I’ve never seen a game like that,” said Emily’s sister, Abigail. “Not just from Emily, but all of them. It showed how much my mom had affected them, and it means a lot that they wanted to win for her. It was very apparent tonight.”
After a 14-4 run to close the first quarter put the Fighting Irish (10-13) ahead 21-11, a physical second quarter left St. V-M with that same 10-point margin (33-23) at halftime.
Anna Santucci shined in the first half for the Irish. The Tiffin commit scored 11 of her team-high 17 points before the break, rarely missing from the field.
“They want to get up in the 80s and we want to keep it in the 50s,” Revere coach Kevin Verde said. “In the first half, they scored mostly on layups and open jumpers. We just told the girls at halftime that we have to get back to our style.”
It was that simple adjustment and a bond of togetherness that helped shape what became a preposterous storybook finish.
Brock and fellow senior Viktoria Farian carried the load for Revere (17-6) in the second half. The two combined for 31 of the team’s 35 points in the final two quarters.
It was Brock who truly shined. Her two NBA-range step-back 3-pointers and a scoop layup brought the Minutemen within one before she swiped a pass and dished a full-court assist to Grace Hete to give Revere its first lead of the game at 45-44 heading into the fourth quarter.
The stage was set.
The Irish came out in a 2-3 zone, clogging the lane and preventing Brock and Farian from penetrating. The defensive tweak helped St.V-M get out in transition, where Kendall Miller tallied six of her 12 points to put the Irish ahead 57-54 with one minute to go.
Hete responded quickly with what seemed to be a 3-pointer, but it was ruled her foot was on the line, forcing Revere to get one last stop.
On the next possession, Irish guard Payton Pooler scrambled away from a trap before dribbling the ball off her foot and into the hands of Brock.
Poised and unfazed all game, Brock Eurostepped through traffic and banked home a runner with 8.2 seconds remaining. The inbounds play was cut off and St. V-M could not get a shot, prompting the Revere fans to storm the court and mob the hero.
“This has been the most difficult season of my life so far,” Brock said. “It was an incredible feeling to have my mom with me the entire game and I couldn’t have done it without everybody in these stands.”
There was hardly a dry eye in the house after Brock finished with a career-high 26 points and the moment was hard to describe.
“Something had to have happened here tonight, right?” asked Jeff Brock, Emily’s father. “I can’t help but think Betsy was up there saying, ‘Let’s give them a show.’ ”