Norris headed to Class B semis on 70-foot buzzer beater

The tension was palpable as officials reviewed the final play of the game. The Norris Titans had already dogpiled in front of the screaming student section but the officials had yet to make their final decision.

Norris senior guard Barret Boesiger launched a three-quarters court fearless heave with milliseconds on the clock. If the call stood, he would have won the game. If it was reversed, the score would stand at 49-49, sending the already passionate game into an even more contentious overtime.

Titans coach Jimmy Motz held his head in stress as the seconds dragged on in Pinnacle Bank Arena.

“I have never seen anything like what I just witnessed out there this afternoon,” Motz said. “The kids believed. We found a way. We've talked about just getting one point better. I knew this game was going to be tough.”

As the referee signaled that the call stood, Norris resumed its celebration. The final score was 52-49 in the Titans’ favor. 

Norris head coach Jimmy Motz celebrates the buzzer beater, 70-foot shot after the Titans' win over Lincoln Pius X in the quarterfinals of the NSAA Boys Basketball Class B State Tournament on March 13, 2025, at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The basket was made by senior Barret Boesiger after a heated battle against the Thunderbolts. Photo by Izzy Lewis.

“This moment is so surreal,” Boesiger said. “I thought, ‘Stay patient. Your time’s coming. You can hit a big one. You’ve got to stay composed.’ And then I hit the biggest one.” 

The back-and-forth game had been hard-wrought for No. 1 Norris as it faced the No. 8 Lincoln Pius X Thunderbolts Thursday afternoon in the first round of the NSAA Class B State Boys Basketball Tournament. 

With just over a minute left in the fourth quarter, it seemed the Thunderbolts had the upset secured. They led the Titans by six, their largest lead of the game. 

Junior guard Macoy Folkerts tied the game back up with a 3-point jumper with only three seconds remaining on the game clock. 

“(Macoy has) been known as Mr. March because he's had a lot of big shots the last three years,” Motz said. “He makes plays, and was confident to let it fly.” 

As a freshman, Folkerts made a notable buzzer beater in the state district’s final two years ago to send Norris to state. Boesiger added another postseason buzzer beater to the Titans' recent memory. 

“I just turned around and looked at our crowd, and I don't think anybody was in their seats,” Motz said. “Without a doubt, (it is) one of the biggest shots in our program's history.” 

The points from that game-winning shot were the only ones scored by Boesiger during the game. His feat was so undeniably remarkable, a Pius fan came up to congratulate Boesiger after the game as he walked back to the locker room. 

“We played them two weeks ago at our place, and it was a totally different game,” Motz said. “That's occurred to their kids and their coaching staff for making adjustments and giving themselves a chance to win. Because you get down here, it's a clean slate.” 

The Titans beat the Thunderbolts earlier in the regular season, 73-66. Pius did everything right, as it adapted Thursday's game to combat Norris at state. The Titans stagnated offensively and had some weak blocking this time around, evident in the trading of leads in the game. 

Junior forward Chris Garner Jr. led the Titans in points with 14. Sophomore Evan Greenfield led in rebounds with five and junior Alec Small led assists with five. The Thunderbolts had better individual highs for the most part: senior guard Parker Kelly led with 19 points and senior guard Michael Haith led in assists with seven.

Norris’ biggest lead was 10 points in the second quarter. Folkerts tied the score up with an earlier 3-pointer in the second that led the Titans on the run. Things had finally started to look up for Norris, but the lead was a false sense of security. 

“Even with us being the No. 1 seed, (Pius) played us a little bit closer than we wanted them to,” Boesiger said. “Just winning by one (shot), we’ve got to reset, refocus and make sure we get the next one.”

Last season, the Titans lost in the championship to Omaha Skutt Catholic, just seven points shy of the state title. Norriswill play the semifinal game against Skutt at 6 p.m. on Friday, March 14, at Pinnacle Bank Arena. 

Published in UNLimited Sports, read here.