Center coach Mark Jula has been a head coach at six schools for 31 years. He has coached more than 800 games but never has seen a finish like this.

When the final buzzer sounded, eight bodies from two teams were literally on the floor in a mad scrum for the ball. Then Center's students and Jula rushed the floor in celebration before Jula "raised the roof" with his hands at half court.

Center defeated visiting Blackhawk, 60-59, in a WPIAL Class AAA Section 2 thriller Friday night that had a surreal ending.

"The first thing I did when I came in the locker room after the game was ask 'How many of you were on the ground at the end?' They all said they were," Jula said. "That was an unbelievable ending."

Blackhawk's Tim Denman made two free throws with 24.3 seconds left to bring Blackhawk within 60-59. Center broke Blackhawk's press and Nick Delisio drove to the basket before passing to Lukas Turley, who tried a layup. But his shot was blocked with 12 seconds left. A Blackhawk player grabbed the ball, but Center knocked it away. Then Center had it. Then it was on the floor and Blackhawk had it. Then Center had it. Then ...

The scrum literally lasted about 10 seconds.

Players were diving onto the court but no one could come up with the ball. Finally, the official blew a whistle to call a jump ball just as the horn sounded. Game over. Center won its eighth in a row and added another chapter to its final-season story. Center will close at the end of this school year and merge with Monaca to form Central Valley.

Center is 13-3 overall and 8-1 in Section 2. Hopewell is 7-1 and Blackhawk 6-2. Center hasn't won a section title since 1983.

"I've never been part of anything like that ending, unless in a football game," Turley said. "To me, that was like a fumble and everyone was just trying to get it."

"That ending was the craziest thing I've ever seen," Center forward Trevor George said. "That was like a football game, but that's OK because we all play football. I was one of the last ones to dive in. I saw the ball loose and just put my head down and dove."

In the final three minutes, there were three ties and two lead changes. "That's as good of a high school game as you're going to see," Jula said. "That ending typified us. It was so perfect because that's what we've all about the past month -- playing defense, getting after it and working harder than anyone else.

"I told this team in terms of effort and how hard they're playing, I might compare them to my old Butler and North Allegheny teams, and I wouldn't be lying. They're getting close to playing like those old teams played."

Center has only one starter taller than 6 feet and that's 6-2 Turley.

George and Turley led Center with 15 points against Blackhawk. DeLisio added 13 and Kupper 11.

Cory Ostach led Blackhawk with 15 points, Dustin Pringle added 14, Tim Denman 11 and Tyler Damazo 10.

"All of these kids grew up in Center," Jula said. "I think [the school closing] is very important to them because I think they want to go out as being remembered."

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