GULF COAST - For the third time in five games, the Omaha Racers have lost a critical game on a last-second shot.
Paul Sheehan
(5220056), the league's leading scorer, hit a three-pointer with eight seconds to go, giving the Gulf Coast Shrimps a 97-96 win over the Racers in a first-round playoff game.
"There's not much I can say at this point," said owner Jerry Midwest.
The Racers had plenty of chances to win this game. Trailing by seven with five minutes to play, the Racers went on a 10-2 run, finally taking the lead on a slam dunk by all-star David Mobuta
(9217177) with two minutes to play. After the teams traded failed possessions, Steve Rice was fouled while shooting. He could only convert one of two from the line, giving the Racers a 96-94 lead with 1:22 to play.
On the Shrimps' next possession, Bob Booth
(9797870) -- whose defensive play has been maligned in the Omaha media -- blocked a shot by Darnell Chappell, and collected the rebound.
On the offensive end, youngster Marco Antonio Carrera
(11770141) rushed his shot, missed, and gave Gulf Coast the ball back with 54 seconds to play.
After Pablo Bande
(9208758) missed a three-pointer, Omaha's Steve Rice
(6627161) grabbed the rebound, and the game seemed to be in hand for Omaha. They had a two-point lead and the ball with 35 seconds left.
But as the Racers tried to run the full 24 seconds in the front court, it was Rice who turned the ball over to Jeffrey Flynn
(5654006), giving the Shrimps one last chance with 12 seconds to go.
With their home fans screaming for a time out (they had four left but didn't use one), the Shrimps ran their transition offense instead, and got Sheehan a good look at a game-winning three, which he drained.
It was another blade into the heart of a team that had been stabbed too many times already. The Racers lost three regular season games, and one playoff game, to UTCMocs and Gulf Coast Shrimps, all on last-second shots. A reversal of fortune in two of those four games would have sent the Racers through as division champs instead of a third-place team, and given them home playoff games instead of road trips. But more cynical Omaha fans realize that the team has shown a lack of heart in critical games, has too many players on the wrong side of 30, and has yet to do anything with the tremendous potential of Marco Antonio Carrera.
Whether the Racers will stand pat with a team that is near a championship, or tear down and rebuild, remains to be seen.