In front of a jam-packed crowd of screaming fans at the Viking Village on Dec. 20, in a tie game with neighborhood rival Euclid, Villa Angela-St. Joseph senior Jeremiah Martin stepped to the free-throw line with no time on the clock, knowing that if he just hit one shot, the Vikings would win the game. He missed the first attempt. But Martin’s second attempt was true, giving the Vikings a thrilling 72-71 victory, and VASJ students swarmed the court in celebration. A foul called on Euclid in the final seconds of the game gave Martin the opportunity to deliver a win in a game in which the Vikings had trailed for most of the way. Jeremiah Martin hits the game-winning free throw as @vasj_basketball beats @EUCPanthers, 72-71. Foul on the final play gave him that chance and he missed the first one before sinking the second. What a finish pic.twitter.com/AGEkKHK0Qo — Jay Kron (@TownCenter2) December 21, 2024 “I was thinking of course, knock down the first one,” Martin said of his thoughts as he stepped to the line. “Then after I missed it, I just stayed composed and focused on that second shot, and knocked it down.” VASJ (4-2) trailed by 11 points in the second quarter, and 10 in the third, as the Vikings struggled to handle the bigger Panthers on the boards. Euclid held a 23-13 rebounding edge at halftime. But the Vikings kept battling, ending the third quarter on a 9-0 run to draw within 58-57 and give themselves a chance. VASJ took its first lead of the game, 63-62, with 4:55 left in the fourth quarter on a steal and bucket by 6-foot-6 sophomore OJ Spikes. Euclid (1-5) took a 66-65 lead on a pair of free throws by senior Thai Duncan with 2:44 left. The Panthers would later extend the lead to 71-67 on a wide-open triple by 6-foot-7 junior Kye Owens, who played for the Vikings last season before transferring to Euclid. VASJ sophomore Jaevon Hairston scored to cut it to 71-69, and then Martin hit a layup to tie it at 71-71 with 55 seconds to go. Euclid missed an opportunity with 28 seconds left after a foul on the Vikings, as a lane violation eliminated the first attempt and the second was no good. VASJ called time out with nine seconds left, and wasn’t able to score, but the foul provided one last chance. @vasj_basketball sophomore Julian Council (21 points) and senior Jeremiah Martin (20 points, including the game-winning free throw) talk about the Vikings’ thrilling, 72-71 win over rival Euclid pic.twitter.com/APMvJK3ZEn — Jay Kron (@TownCenter2) December 21, 2024 “I have never played in front of a big crowd like that,” VASJ sophomore Julian Council said. “My first time doing it I’m very satisfied, but it’s not the end (with a long season still ahead).” The loss was heartbreaking for a much-improved Euclid team that was in control for most of it. The Panthers had little trouble breaking the Vikings’ press, converted second-chance opportunities at the offensive end, and made VASJ pay for any mistakes in the form of turnovers. Euclid held a 30-26 lead at the end of the first frame and collected 12 rebounds to the Vikings’ four in that stanza. The Panthers capped a 15-4 run into the second quarter for a 39-28 lead on a bucket by sophomore Jalin Acoff. A dunk by Owens gave Euclid a 41-33 lead, and the Panthers took a 43-38 lead into halftime, as VASJ stayed in it with seven 3s in the first half. But the Vikings fell behind by double digits one more time in the third quarter, and then were equal to the task of coming back, getting contributions from all nine players who saw the floor. VASJ coach Ashen Ward couldn’t remember the last time there was a court storming at the Viking Village, or if there ever even had been one. @vasj_basketball Coach Ashen Ward breaks down the Vikings’ 72-71 win over rival Euclid (part 1) pic.twitter.com/whRatd0sMC — Jay Kron (@TownCenter2) December 21, 2024 “I’m just happy this rivalry is back,” Ward said. “We had a long stretch of years where we didn’t play. We got it back last year, and fell short, but it was nice to get a win here in front of our home crowd. “Great crowd, great atmosphere. Great opportunity for our guys to play in front of a crowd like that against a rival for which there’s no love lost.” @vasj_basketball Coach Ashen Ward discusses the Vikings’ big 72-71 win over neighborhood rival Euclid (part 2) pic.twitter.com/mgzXcW79uA — Jay Kron (@TownCenter2) December 21, 2024 Duncan led all scorers with 28 points, and along with the 44 he scored against Mayfield on Dec. 17, has 72 points in his last two games. Acoff added 16 points and Owens 13 for Euclid. Council’s 21 points, including five 3s, led VASJ. Martin finished with 20 points, and senior Antonio Brown added 12. “The first half was really bad on both ends for us,” Ward said. “Give credit to (Euclid). They played really well offensively and took away some things we wanted to do. “In that third quarter (late run), I think we finally settled in. We have a group of guys that just played hard. I told them it comes down to effort. Once we had all five guys giving the same effort on the court, things started to turn around for us.” Both teams will participate in the NEO Christmas Classic at Garfield Heights over the weekend. Euclid will play Brush on Dec. 21, and VASJ will face Lutheran West on Dec. 22. THE SCORE VASJ 72, Euclid 71