WHITEHOUSE, Ohio — As a freshman at Anthony Wayne, Elise Bender never could have pictured where her Friday night would take her.
The Generals girls basketball team was in a close contest with Napoleon and with less than one second left on the clock, Bender hit a buzzer-beater three from just inside half-court to lift the Generals to a 51-50 win over the defending state champions.
“There have been a lot of Twitter posts and Instagram,” said Bender. “I still can’t believe it. I don’t know how I made that. I just caught the ball and chucked it up there and just hoped. It was very awesome. I’m just kind of surprised to this day still.”
The shot went so viral that Bender found her way on to ESPN SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays of the night.
“It gives her some exposure, it gives Anthony Wayne and our community a lot of exposure,” said her coach, Jami Carter. “She deserves it. She’s a humble kid. She works very hard. We believe luck does find us, but hard work has to come first.”
Bender is just a freshman, but is already making a huge impact for the Generals who are hoping to continue this momentum the rest of the year.