South Lyon energizer bunny Graham Braun, a 6-foot-7 whirlwind, grabbed the final rebound of the game, held the ball high above his head and laughed as he was mobbed by teammates inside The Jungle at South Lyon High School.
It should surprise no one that Braun grabbed the first rebound and every one between as the Lions (6-10 overall, 5-5 in conference play) attempt to crawl from the depths of the Lakes Valley Conference after a crowd pleasing 57-51 overtime victory over Milford (9-6, 6-3) which had title aspirations before the loss.
Braun scored 25 points, grabbed countless rebounds and was tasked with guarding dangerous 6-8 post player Anthony Hutter in the paint.
During the final minute of overtime Braun locked down the game by grabbing four rebounds, hitting six free throws, blocking a shot and hustling under the basket to grabbed another shot that was blocked by a teammate.
All this in one minute.
An upset?
No. Let’s call it a comeback because the Lions are finally healthy. A rash of injuries hit the roster like a flu bug preventing the Lions from becoming the team Coach Jeff Schmitz knew it could become. One of the walking wounded was Braun who was no threat to turn a game around or even hit three-point shots.
He did both Friday night.
“Yeah I like to bring the energy and a positive attitude to the team,” Braun said.
South Lyon has now won four of its last six games, which includes a 66-58 home victory over next Tuesday’s opponent Walled Lake Western, which is winless in the conference.
“We have to bring the same confidence and trust in one another,” Braun said.