Instant classic: Dallastown senior bursts on the scene with buzzer-beating 3-pointer

Brytaen Wiedman spent the past three years being patient.

He wasn’t going to be bashful now.

A senior but first-time varsity contributor, Wiedman nailed the game winning 3-pointer in the final seconds to lift Dallastown to a stunning 55-53 home win over York High Tuesday night.

The shot capped off a wild fourth quarter that featured six lead changes in the final 2:05.

“It was a surreal experience,” Wiedman said. “It made my bones move.”

It was Wiedman’s third 3-pointer of the night. While this season is essentially his varsity debut, his teammates clearly trusted him and fed him the ball behind the 3-point line throughout the contest. He finished with 12 points.

The final shot came during a free-flowing final 15 seconds where York High retook the lead on a putback and the Wildcats immediately raced out for their final possession. There was no time to draw up a final play. Dallastown players said afterward they've prepared for those moments in practice.

Wildcats head coach Mike Grassel said there was no way to draw up the sequence for a specific player. He just wanted his players to find the best shot.

Still, Wiedman’s teammates weren’t surprised he ended up with the ball in his hands.

“He always shoots that 3-ball,” junior Jalen Cook said laughing. “He said before that he was gonna shoot it. He said, ‘If I get it and I’m open, I’m gonna hit it.’ That’s what he told us. He’s fun. He’s quiet but once you know him he’s fun.”

Wiedman was mobbed by both teammates and the Dallastown student section in the aftermath.

"It's been a lot of hard work and trying to play my role," he said of his journey the past few years. "Just trusting the process."

The winning sequence

Dallastown led 26-25 at halftime but York High blitzed the Wildcats with an 11-0 run in the third quarter and led by five heading to the fourth.

The final minutes were a frenetic collection of big shots and emotional plays for both teams.

With York High up by one and 1:30 to play, Dallastown's Michael Scott hit a floater in the lane. York High nearly lost possession multiple times before David Warde nailed a 3-pointer. Scott responded with his own 3-pointer.

Dallastown up by one ... 36 seconds to play ... Grassel screaming at his players out of a timeout for "one more stop."

Instead, York High ended a long possession with a put back by James Abney. 15 seconds to play. Wiedman inbounded the ball but quickly got it back and took it up the floor.

He passed to Aidyn Garner ... who passed to a streaking Cook by the basket ... who passed it back to Garner rather than attempt a difficult reverse lay up ... who immediately gave it up to Wiedman on the left wing.

Wiedman released the winning shot with 4.5 seconds on the clock.

“It was crazy,” Wiedman said with a wide smile. “I’d trust anybody but of course I want the ball. Always. I loved it.”

The stars

A collection of football stars shined on the basketball court Tuesday. Scott led all scorers with 19 points. Grassel said the junior and future Division I wide receiver "put on his Superman cape" for the Wildcats.

Cook, another football star, scored eight points but blocked multiple shots and threw down two impressive dunks ― one on an alley-oop.

Warde, York High's own star wideout, scored nine points but had big baskets in the fourth quarter. 6-foot-6 Monford White led the Bearcats with 13 points and Amari Davis had 11.

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York High without star player

Bearcats senior and returning leading scorer Juelz Tucker did not play Tuesday due to a "violation of team rules," according to Bearcats head coach Clovis Gallon. Tucker still attended the game and sat on the bench.

Gallon said Tucker will play Friday at home against Red Lion.

"He did a good job supporting his teammates," Gallon said of Tucker, who averaged 16 points per game last season. "He recognizes that he crossed the boundary of what we expect and I don't think it'll happen again."

They said it

"Even though I just hit two 3s, I wanted to get Bryt the ball. He's one of the best shooters in York-Adams. The stuff he hits in practice is crazy. Our whole team is gonna surprise everybody." — Dallastown junior Michael Scott

"I had to commend them on how hard they competed. We talked about maximizing their potential and opportunity. But then we talked about the little things. How we practice. Touching the line on every drill, meeting the standard in every drill. If you don't make it? That's a loss. When you accumulate too many of those, it transfers over to the game. I'm trying to get them in tune with every small detail, because when we pair that with our effort we're going to be really good." — York High head coach Clovis Gallon on his message to his players

"We made plays when it mattered. We owed (York High). They got us like that (in overtime) last year at their house. It's always a good matchup against them. I don't care who they're playing or not playing. We're not saying sorry. A win is a win. They're a well-coached team and they battled." — Dallastown head coach Mike Grassel

What's next?

Tuesday was York High's first game of the season. The Bearcats host Red Lion Friday.

Dallastown (2-0) goes on the road Friday against undefeated juggernaut Central York (4-0).

Matt Allibone is a sports reporter for GameTimePA. He can be reached at 717-881-8221, mallibone@ydr.com or on X at @bad2theallibone.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Dallastown senior basketball player hits buzzer beater vs. York High