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2019-20 Games To Remember (No. 4): Asman's shot at buzzer gives Kimberly a 68-66 win over Neenah

04/03/2020, 1:00pm CDT
By Mark Miller

Grant Asman

Grant Asman took just four shots during Kimberly's Fox Valley Association showdown at Neenah on January 17. 

But his last one proved to be memorable. 

Very memorable, at least from a Kimberly point of view. 

Asman, a 6-foot-9 junior better known for his ability to shoot from the perimeter than score in the lane, tipped in a missed shot as the final buzzer sounded, giving Kimberly a 68-66 triumph over the stunned Rockets. 

Neenah had led 66-65 before Kimberly's Connor Wnek split a pair of free throws with 1:43 left. 

The Rockets then patiently worked the ball, looking for a backdoor cut to the basket or an open lane to the hoop.

But Neenah turned the ball over with :56.4 remaining on an errant pass along the baseline. 

Kimberly coach Lucky Wurtz called a timeout with :36.7 left and inserted Asman into the Papermakers' lineup.

Senior guard Jake Buchanan (6-0) handled the ball near midcourt for more than 26 seconds before beginning a drive to his left toward the basket.

Buchanan let go with a runner from just inside the free-throw line that hit the back rim and bounced out. Wnek's attempted tip in was off the mark and then Asman got his hand on another tip try that fell through the hoop, setting off a wild celebration on the Kimberly bench. 

The triumph gave eventual-champion Kimberly a two-game lead over Neenah in the league standings, a fact that would later prove to be huge as the Rockets registered a 71-49 triumph at Kimberly on Feb. 18.

Asman finished the contest with just five points, but it's safe to say it's a game he will remember the rest of his life. 

Buchanan, headed to NCAA Division II Rockhurst University on a basketball scholarship, finished with 17 points to lead Kimberly while senior Logan Pearson (6-3), who plans to play basketball next season at NCAA Division III Platteville, added 14. 

Neenah, which finished the season with a 23-2 record under coach Lee Rabas and was poised to play Kimberly for a third time in a WIAA Division 1 sectional final before COVID-19 hit, got 25 points from senior Max Klesmit, who signed with NCAA Division I Wofford College last fall. 

Junior forward Jacob Dietz (6-3) added 12 points and six rebounds for Neenah.  

For the latest and most up to date boys' basketball news and recruiting information, follow Mark on Twitter @wisbbyearbook. Email story ideas, recruiting info, etc. to Mark by clicking here.

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