FRUITPORT TOWNSHIP – Three-pointers had been Muskegon Heights’ advantage in an otherwise dead-even and exciting game, and it was a very timely triple that nailed down the victory and secured a trophy for the Tigers.

Muskegon Heights led Fruitport Calvary Christian by eight points headed into the fourth quarter of Friday’s Division 4 district championship game, but Calvary fought back and led 44-42 with 49 seconds left on the clock.

That’s when Muskegon Heights junior JaQuan Mathews did what he had been doing all night, pumping in a triple with 28 seconds left to put the Tigers up by one.

Fruitport Calvary turned the ball over seconds later, Muskegon Heights’ JaKari Edwards was fouled and sank two free throws, and the Tigers pulled out a thrilling 47-44 victory on the Eagles’ home court and earned a district title.

The Muskegon Heights Tigers celebrate with the district championship trophy.

“I was a little surprised, but I knew we could get through it,” Mathews said, when asked about Fruitport Calvary’s late comeback. “My coach made me super confident, and I knew I was going to knock (the final three-pointer) down.”

The Tigers had 10 three-pointers in the contest, compared to Fruitport Calvary’s three. Edwards had the hottest hand from long-range, nailing five, including three in the third quarter, while Mathews totaled four, including the one that counted the most.

“Edwards and Mathews have been up since their freshman year, and I knew if we were going to let anyone decide things, it was going to be them,” said Muskegon Heights Coach Dalrecus Stewart. “They deserved to have the chance to decide the game, and they did.”

The district championship completed an amazing year for the Muskegon Heights boys, who missed most of last season due to COVID, and only managed to squeeze in five games toward the end.

They came back and played a full schedule this year, battled a lot of tough teams, and kept improving as the season went by.

Fruitport Calvary’s Jacob May tries to work his way through traffic toward the basket.

By the time they got to districts they were good enough to win a trophy in a pressure situation, against a Fruitport Calvary team that would not quit.

“We have grown quite a bit,” Stewart said. “We’ve been in the fire with a lot of good teams, some nights they took it to us pretty good, but we always found experiences to grow from.

“We are playing some pretty good basketball. The kids grew and got better, and I’ve got to give them a lot of credit. They wanted to be better, they stuck with it, and I love them for it.”

The Eagles jumped out to an early 9-4 lead, powered by two buckets from senior point guard Jacob May.

The Tigers battled back with a layup by Jon’athon Moore and triples from Mathews and Edwards to take a 12-9 lead at the first buzzer.

Muskegon Heights started the second quarter with an 8-4 run and took a 20-13 lead. Calvary answered with a 7-0 run to end the quarter, highlighted by a three-pointer from Josiah Jackson, and had a 21-20 edge at halftime.

Muskegon Heights’ DaJuan Garrett calls for the ball in front of two Calvary defenders.

The Tigers opened the third quarter with a three-point binge and a 13-5 run, and had a 36-26 lead with 30 seconds remaining. Edwards had three triples in the quarter while Mathews had one.

Fruitport Calvary made two free throws at the end of the third, and Muskegon Heights headed into the fourth with a 36-28 lead.

But the drama was far from over.

The Eagles opened the final quarter with a 10-3 spurt, punctuated with a three-pointer by May, and cut the Tigers’ lead to 39-38.

The lead changed hands two more times before Bradley Richards sank two free throws for Calvary with 1:20 left, tying the game at 42-42.

Muskegon Heights’ Damond Davis tries to inbound the ball with Calvary’s Jacob May defending.

May nailed a jump shot with 49 seconds left, giving Calvary a two-point lead, but it did not hold up.

Mathews hit his final three-pointer with 28 seconds left, Calvary lost the ball on a turnover, then Edwards made two free throws to end the scoring.

Edwards scored a game-high 21 points for the Tigers while Mathews totaled 12.

“You’ve got to tip your hat to Fruitport Calvary,” Coach Stewart said. “This could have gone either way. Coach Richards does a great job with his kids.”

Fruitport Calvary ended up playing without freshman standout Bradley Richards for a good part of the game. He sat down early in the first half after drawing three quick fouls, then missed a good chunk of the second half after he got a bloody nose in a scramble under the rim in the third quarter.

It was a big loss for the Eagles, considering Richards averaged more than 20 points per game during the regular season. He finished Friday’s contest with only seven points.

“Something hit him in the nose, and it caused blood to start spurting everywhere, and it just wouldn’t stop,” said Fruitport Calvary coach Brad Richards, who is also Bradley’s dad. “But both teams did a good job of shutting down the other team’s leading scorer.”

Other players stepped up for the Eagles, including May (15 points), Ethan Cammanga (11 points), Raj Grewel (8 points).

Fruitport Calvary finished the season with a 16-6 record, the second-best for the boys team in school history.

“I thought everybody on the team stepped up and really battled,” Coach Richards said. “They were trying to find a way to pull it off and they almost did it.

“The difference between winning and losing sometimes is very, very small. I am proud of the guys for how they fought. I really love all these guys. They’ve been through a lot the last two years.”