With Andre out of the equation, Nelson felt that the best course of action would be to entrust the fate of the season to LaDanion Payne ‘27.

“The next person who has the best chance of getting to the rim and getting us a good shot would be LaDanion,” Nelson said. “So I looked him in the eye and I said, ‘you’re going to grow up today. You’re going to make this shot and I trust you. Do you trust yourself?’”

For Payne, there was no doubt in his mind of whether he could do it.

“I told him straight up. I was like, ‘I got you, T’. I was ready.”

Payne also acknowledged the work that built up to this moment.

“I do this shot every day,” Payne said. “I do it almost 50 times every time I step on the court, and so I just had the thought, ‘I got this, it’s going in.’”

Payne’s confidence showed in his play. He calmly took the ball up the court, skillfully outpaced two defenders, and layed the ball into the net over a third defender.

“After I hit the shot, at first I was just exhilarated because it went in and we’re up one, but then I just threw it all away for the last six seconds,” Payne said. “I still had to get back on defense. Six seconds is a lot of time.”

Payne would get his celebratory moment later, as the team raced to congratulate him as the game ended.

The team celebrates after the buzzer. Video Melvin Smith/@_melvinsmith.

“After the game, it all came back to me,” Payne said. “It all surged. Everybody’s running to me. I see my mom running to me. BJ ran to me. Bryce grabbed me. Everybody’s just grabbing me. I was just excited and happy.

The celebrations continued into the locker room, where the team showered Nelson with water, commemorating all the hard work he does for the team.

 The team waits in the locker room to celebrate with Head Coach Tom Nelson. Video by Andre Mills ’24.

Payne recognized the importance of his coach in creating this moment, praising Nelson for his commitment to all of his players.

“He doesn’t thrive on one person,” Payne said. “He lets the whole team contribute to the game.”

These big moments stem from believing in each player consistently, according to Nelson.

“You let them know who they are as a person,” Nelson said. “And then when time comes, you call upon that. And they know that you’re there for them. I have a motto. I say, ‘We Got Us’. I want them to know that we, the group, and those in the past who have played, we all believe in you.”

Nelson has high hopes for the rest of the playoffs, beginning with the semifinals against The Winchendon School on Saturday.

“I think we can win the whole thing, but it’s going to take another gigantic, Herculean effort on Saturday to get a win at Winchendon,” Nelson said. “I’ve been telling them all year, if we get into the playoffs, then we could win it. And I still believe that.”

Editors’ note: This story was updated Thursday, Feb. 29 at 10:54 a.m. to include a podcast interview with Head Coach Tom Nelson. This story was also updated Thursday, Feb 29 at 12:00 p.m. to include a podcast interview with LaDanion Payne ’27 and new reporting.