Games We Will Remember: The Fall Mt. Miracle
In the 1976-’77 season, the Conval boys’ basketball team played one of the toughest schedules among all Class I (D2) schools, and even observers from the NHIAA to coaches around the state admired the grit and talent of the Cougars against much bigger teams. But at 11-7 and heading into their next-to-last game on February 18, 1977 at highly-ranked Fall Mountain Regional, the Cougars knew they needed a victory and another the following Monday at Pembroke, and help from other teams to qualify for the state tournament.
Little did they know on the long bus ride to Langdon that night that it would go down as one of the most improbable and miraculous endings to a game in school history.
Hundreds of fans journeyed with the team to encourage them in what was considered at the time to be one of the most difficult gyms in the state for a visiting team to win. After a see-saw contest in which both teams took turns building up eight-point leads, it all came down to the final three minutes.
Fall Mountain slowly but surely began to add to a three-point edge, taking a seemingly insurmountable 77-70 lead with 1:09 left on the clock. The place was deafening and it seemed inevitable that the game and the Cougars’ season was over.
Conval did not get its next shot off until 55 seconds remained…but when they did, it was magical. In a matter of 10 seconds, the dynamic duo of Phil Abbott and Jon Barnes teamed up for two three-point plays—the old-fashioned kind. This was 10 years before the 3-point field goal was introduced. In the blink of an eye, the score was suddenly 77-76. And then incredibly, the host Wildcats threw away the inbounds pass which led to a Conval steal and a 78-77 lead! It was bedlam in the Cougar portion of the crowd.
The insanity had only begun. On the ensuing play downcourt, it appeared that Conval’s Craig Whitney had clearly been fouled going after a loose ball, but the referees ruled just the opposite, and the Wildcats went to the line for a one-and-one opportunity. In the high pressure and noise of the moment, however, they missed the first shot and Barnes came down with the rebound. Only 20 seconds remained and all was looking amazingly hopeful for the comeback kids. He called time so that Coach Ray Richard could set up a final play. But Jon didn't realize that the Cougars had already used their allotted time outs! Fall Mountain was awarded a technical foul with a chance to tie the game.
Unbelievably, sharp-shooter Bill Aumand missed the technical free throw, but the Wildcats still had possession of the ball and a chance to win. In the final chaotic seconds, several shots, most from offensive rebounds, were near-misses—and all of them on the edge of falling but all of them somehow rolling off the rim. Then, with just four seconds left, Mike McTague was forced to foul a taller Wildcat to prevent a game-winning put-back basket. This time, however, the Fall Mountain player hit both free throws that gave the home team an apparently safe 79-78 lead.
Apparently. Because no lead was safe on this night, even with just four seconds left...
On the inbounds pass, the ball got to McTague who quickly pushed it up to Whitney at half court. The Antrim senior launched a 30-foot bomb at the buzzer...
Swish! Conval fans swarmed the court in jubilation as the Cougars pulled off a miraculous 80-79 win that kept their tournament hopes alive.
Afterwards, a fan went up to Coach Ray Richard and exclaimed, “I’ve never seen anything like that in my life.” And the coach laughed, “And I hope I never see it again.”
Postscript: The following Monday, the Cougars put up a valiant effort at once-beaten Pembroke but fell short by a score of 65-62. By a quirk in the scheduling, Conval was edged out of the final state tournament spot that year—eight hundredths of a point!—by number 12 Berlin. While other teams that qualified for the tournament played fewer games and even a mixed Class I/Class M(D3), the Cougars paid the price for a full 20-game schedule against some of the best teams in the state.
“It would be a shame if Conval didn’t make the playoffs because our contacts from around Concord have a lot of praise for your club,” said Walter Smith, NHIAA Executive Secretary at the time, in an interview with the Peterborough Transcript. “They’re really impressed and think you have a very, very fine team and they think Conval could make some waves in the tournament.”
So did we.
