Teen sinks winning basket in late friend's honor

Updated
Teen Sinks Winning Basket in Late Friend's Honor
Teen Sinks Winning Basket in Late Friend's Honor


Each member of the Bishop McGuinness boys' basketball team was instructed to write a name on a basketball before playing a game against their arch rivals, Mount Airy High School. The name was meant to be someone to whom each player was dedicating the game.

'No one took it more seriously than junior guard Spencer Wilson -- he picked his friend, Josh Rominger,' CBS reports.

Wilson and Rominger had one thing in common: they both had cancer. CBS says Wilson spent five years fighting cancer - twice. Wilson, 17, is the only one who lived. Rominger, 18, died nine months ago.

Doctors told Wilson he only had a 7% chance of beating cancer, but he did. Wilson decided to dedicate this game to his late best friend in honor of his memory.

The game was emotional and very close. Near the end of the game, during overtime, Mount Airy was up 82-81. The final seconds were ticking by, and the game was almost over. Then, the ball landed in Wilson's hands ...

'He took a few dribbles and fired off a 50-foot running jumper that banked in as time expired. The final: Bishop McGuinness 84, Mount Airy 82,' the Winston-Salem Journal reports.

WFMY showed that beautiful moment.'With two seconds left and down by a point, Bishop McGuinness needed a miracle. When Mount Airy missed a chance to go up by two, junior Spencer Wilson decided to give it a shot - a half court shot.'

Before the game, Wilson decided to write to Rominger's mom to let her know he'd dedicated the game to her son. The coach said the names on the ball were meant to symbolize that the game was for something bigger than themselves.

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