Video: Buzzer-beater by David Bell
Watch Bell, a four-star football recruit, go the length of the court to end New Albany's season.
More than 8,000 fans jammed into Lloyd E. Scott Gymnasium in Seymour, Ind., on Saturday to watch two of the top teams in the country and what turned out to be the final high school game of record-setting guard
Romeo Langford.
Despite 35 points from Langford and a 10-point fourth-quarter lead,
New Albany was stunned at the buzzer by
Warren Central (Indianapolis), which recorded a wild 64-62 win in Indiana's Class 4A semifinals.
Tied at 62,
David Bell took an inbound pass with 4.5 seconds left, went coast-to-coast and made a 10-foot right-handed floater from the right side, setting off pandemonium and heartbreak.
Warren Central (31-0) is No. 22 in the MaxPreps national rankings while New Albany (25-2) entered at No. 25.
"With four seconds left I was confident I could go the distance," said Bell, a 6-foot-4 junior. "I wanted to be the man to take the shot. I would take the blame if I missed it. I'm glad I made it."
Langford, a McDonald's All-American, became the fourth player in state history to score more than 3,000 points in a career. He needed 33 points in the game to surpass that total.
The 6-5 senior guard, rated the No. 1 shooting guard in the country according 247Sports, came in averaging 38.5 points per game. He has yet to commit to a college, though Indiana, Vanderbilt and Kansas are among his top suitors.
On Saturday, he made 13 field goals, but only one was a three-pointer. The Bulldogs made only nine other baskets.
Sean East added 12 points.
For Warren Central,
Dean Tate led the way with 21 points, Bell added 17 and
Jesse Bingham and
Joe Rush contributed 11 apiece. The balance was consistent with what its done all season, though a little more prolific than usual. No player averages more than 12 points per game.
The Warriors now play
Carmel (21-7), a 63-43 winner over
South Bend Riley, in next week's state championship game. Riley (26-1) entered No. 21 in the nation.
Warren Central's David Bell goes in for the game-winner.
Photo by Michael Noyes
Warren Central's David Bell lets the ball out of his hands before the final buzzer.
Photo by Michael Noyes
New Albany's Romeo Langford finished with 35 points.
Photo by Michael Noyes
New Albany's Romeo Langford became the fourth player in Indiana history to score more than 3,000 career points.
Photo by Michael Noyes
New Albany's Romeo Langford averaged more than 38 points his senior season.
Photo by Michael Noyes
For the second straight weekend, more than 8,000 fans showed up at Lloyd E. Scott Gymnasium to watch stellar IHSAA playoff action.
Photo by Michael Noyes
