Oxford, AL – Just an eighth-grader, Oxford’s Perry meets his moment with buzzer-beating 3-pointer to clinch right for Yellow Jackets to host area tourney
By Joe Medley
Marcus Perry’s many shooting sessions with his dad had him ready when his first big moment arrived, and mark it down. The son of an Anniston High basketball legend is an Oxford High legend in his own right, as an eighth-grader.
Seeing extended minutes because junior T.J. Allen was out with COVID-19, and with his parents watching from the stands, Perry sank a corner-ball 3-pointer at the buzzer to complete the Yellow Jackets’ comeback from a 12-point deficit to beat Gadsden City on Friday. The victory clinched Oxford’s position as top seed and host for the Class 6A, Area 13 tournament and Oxford coach Joel Van Meter’s astonished laugh while describing the game-winning play, which he called during a timeout with 6.3 seconds left.
‘Deshaun Calloway catches (the inbounds pass), hard drive and makes the play that he’s supposed to make and then an eighth-grader puts one in the goal,” Van Meter said. The winning bucket accounted for Perry’s three points on the night. The final game book didn’t track shooting from the field, but he was 0-for-2 from the foul line.
Then came his moment, a play call that set him up and gave him a wide-open look. Caleb Sanders inbounded from the opposite corner, initially looking for Jayden Lewis, coming down the lane off of a Jaylen Alexander up screen. Gadsden City had Lewis covered, so Sanders inbounded to Calloway, who drove the lane from the top and passed to a wide-open Perry in the corner. “I’m a shooter, and I was just thinking in my head to be confident and shoot it, because I didn’t really hit any shots the whole game,” Perry said. His dad, the Marcus Perry who starred on Anniston’s 2002 state championship team, saw everything he and his son drill together. [read more…]
