‘That was just greatness’: Henry’s steal, buzzer-beating layup lift Greer to win over Greenville

Isaiah Henry had arguably his best game since becoming a Greer Yellow Jacket, piling in 15 points against Greenville including the game-winning layup as the buzzer sounded.

Isaiah Henry and Greenville have some history.

During Henry’s time at J.L. Mann, he never beat the Red Raiders. Zero wins and three losses.

Henry’s first time watching his new team, Greer, play was in the second round of last year’s Class 4-A playoffs. The Jackets’ opponent? Greenville. Greer lost a heartbreaker then to the Red Raiders to end its 2022-23 season.

From the moment Henry came to Greer, he said, he wanted another shot at Greenville. He got it, and he didn’t waste it.

Henry’s steal with five seconds remaining and buzzer-beating layup gave Greer (15-3) a 59-57 win at Greenville (10-3) — the Jackets’ first win over the Red Raiders since 2020.

“I feel like we really needed this win as a team,” said Henry. “Every one of us wanted to come in here and finally beat Greenville, and we got it done.”

With the score tied at 57 and Greenville maintaining possession, Henry stepped in front of a pass intended to play Greenville forward Roman Cooley into the post. Henry coasted down the right side of the court with the ball before softly floating the ball off the glass and in over two Greenville defenders.

The final buzzer sounded just as the ball cleared the net.

“I could tell they were going to try to pass it to [Cooley]. I was just being patient and waiting for the right time to step up and try and get it,” said Henry. “When the time came, I attacked the pass and took it. The rest, that was just greatness.”

Greer head coach Devin Liferidge passed on the chance to call a timeout after Henry made the steal. He trusted the junior guard to make a play.

“It’s funny, because I told the guys in the huddle before that play that I thought [Greenville] would end up turning the ball over,” said Liferidge. “We felt like we were going to get the ball again. So I told the team that if we got it again, we would just go with it. We weren’t stopping.”

“I got the steal and I saw that there were five seconds on the clock, and I was like ‘Oh yeah, I can beat that,’” said Henry. “Coach told us he wasn’t going to call a timeout, so I just ran with it.”

Henry put up 15 points for the game, second on the team only to Amare Anderson’s 20.

Henry’s move to Greer this season, he said, made even more sense after Saturday’s win.

“All I watched of Greer before this season was the Greer-Greenville game in the playoffs last year. I saw how hard they were trying to fight, but they just didn’t have all the right tools yet,” said Henry. “After I made the move to Greer, the second I got here, I wanted Greenville.”

The atmosphere during the game resembled that of a playoff matchup. Empty seats were hard to come by if you didn’t show up at least a half-hour early. With every made basket, block, and highlight play, one set of stands erupted while the other groaned. Boos followed every foul call.

Neither team managed more than a five-point lead throughout the contest. There were 10 lead changes. Both teams treated each possession like it was their last, playing physically and in some cases, attempting to get other opposing players’ skin.

It was everything Liferidge wanted and more.

“Playing a well-coached, physical team like Greenville, we embrace that,” said Liferidge. “We needed it. This was really good for us. If we can pass a test like this, it gives us momentum heading into next week and two more big region games.

“I’m really proud of these guys. We got everything we needed out of this weekend.”

THE SCORE BY QUARTERS

Greer 15 20 12 12 - 59
Grvl. 15 21 9 12 - 57

STAT LEADERS

Greer

Amare Anderson - 20 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists

Isaiah Henry - 15 points, 2 rebounds

Mikey Williams - 8 points, 1 assist

Brayden Lytes - 7 points 2 rebounds, 4 assists

Zayn Valentine - 4 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists

Greenville

Bryson Drummond - 25 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists

Roman Cooley - 13 points, 10 rebounds

Nehemiah Tompkins - 7 points, 6 rebounds

Arkeis Shell - 5 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists

Raymone Whitner - 4 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist