By Rob Potter
HANCOCK — Like any high school sporting event, Tuesday evening’s Orange County Inters-cholastic Athletic Association (OCIAA) Division V boys’ basketball game between Sullivan West/
Delaware Valley and The Family School had its share of exciting moments.
But the most thrilling moment occurred in the last few seconds.
With the host Family School Falcons clinging to a 45-44 lead, SW/DV guard Bill Reichmann received an in-bounds pass and dribbled quickly downcourt as the final 9.7 seconds drained from the clock. Reichmann paused for a split second at the top of the key where the three-point line meets the half-circle of the foul line before driving into the lane. To get some space between him and the Falcon defender shadowing him, Reichmann spun around and then lofted a soft five-foot jumper towards the basket with two seconds on the clock.
The basketball fell through the net as the scoreboard clock reached all zeros, prompting the rest of the Eagles and coach John Hubert to rush towards Reichmann and congratulate him with excited high-fives and pats on the back.
The raucous home crowd that had cheered loudly as the Falcons built a 13-point lead late in the third quarter became eerily quiet as the Family School coaches and players stood in silence, watching the Eagles celebrate their dramatic 46-45 victory.
“Coach drew up a shot for Terrance (Fink), but they were pressing us and we couldn’t run that play,” Reichmann said. “I just tried to create something. I had a feeling the shot might go in and I was hoping it would go in since I didn’t make a shot all night.”
Actually Reichmann converted one free throw in the first quarter and scored another basket later in the second quarter, but his final hoop was definitely the biggest of the night.
“No one better to take it than him,” Hubert said. “The guys just came back tonight and it was a big win for us.”
Reichmann’s game-winning basket capped off a 9-0 SW/DV (4–7, 2–1 Division V) run in the final 2:11 of the game. Successful shots by Bob Wayne and Jeff Peters in a span of 51 seconds cut the Falcon lead to 45-41 with 1:20 remaining.

In the next minute of play, the Family School (2–9, 0–3 Division V) missed the front ends of three separate one-and-one free throw situations. Still within striking distance, the Eagles shaved the lead to a single point when Wayne banked in a three-point shot with 17 ticks left on the clock.
A stunned and disappointed Family coach Bill Musgrove was left to ponder his team’s dismal foul shooting. He noted that the Falcons missed eight free throws in the final quarter.
“We missed 13 foul shots, we were only four-for-17 at the line tonight,” Musgrove said. “That was the reason we lost. When you lose by one point and miss 13 foul shots, you know you had your chances. If we make our foul shots tonight, we win.”
Musgrove praised Reichmann for making “a nice move” as well as the effort of the entire Eagle team.
“You have to give credit to DV for the way they came back,” he said. “They never gave up.”
The Family School’s Sean Hogan scored a game-high 20 points, while teammate Paul Williams added 12 points.
SW/DV’s offense was paced by Wayne, who netted 15 points, and Peters, who finished with 10.