Buzzer-beater boosts Thomas Jefferson boys

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, January 26, 2025 | 11:01 AM

His 11th rebound in the game was his most important.

Thomas Jefferson junior Nick Trklja grabbed an errant shot inside the paint and scored the game-winning basket at the buzzer to lift his team to a thrilling 73-71 Section 3-5A win Jan. 17 at Peters Township.

Near-pandemonium followed as Trklja’s teammates mobbed their instant hero near the spot where he provided his game-winning dramatics.

“I thought Nick played with passion and attacked a rim,” TJ coach Dom DeCicco said. “He never stopped working for the game-winning shot.”

Trklja, a 6-foot-5 forward, finished with 19 points. He is the Jaguars’ leading scorer (17.5 ppg) and rebounder (8 rpg) this season.

“Hitting that shot was huge for me and the team,” Trklja said. “I was very excited.”

TJ improved to 2-4 in section play and 7-8 overall with the victory.

“We can do better as a team than we are right now,” Trklja said, “and we are practicing every day to get better. My expectations for the second half of the season are to be top in the section and prove everyone wrong.”

Justin Fry, a 6-3 sophomore guard, netted a team-high 19 points for TJ and Noah Kaszer, a 6-1 senior guard, added 17.

TJ junior forward Brady Kraus set up Trklja’s last-second heroics by hitting a free throw with 30.8 seconds remaining to make it 71-67.

Junior guard Dylan Donovan of Peters Township finished with a game-high 27 points. Lucas Rost, also a junior guard, chipped in with 16.

There were 14 lead changes in the contest as the Jaguars outscored the home team 45-41 in a tense second half.

“Honestly, we expect to compete in every game we play,” DeCicco said. “We know it’s a hard road to make the playoffs in our section, but we feel we are getting better every game.”

The win by TJ dropped Peters Township out of first place in Section 3-5A and avenged a 63-42 defeat to the Indians at home earlier in the season.

“I don’t think the first game had any effect on this win,” DeCicco said. “We know we have to play with desperation every time we play a section game to make the playoffs.”

It also provided the Jaguars with a better memory of AHN Arena. The last time the Jaguars took the floor at Peters Township’s gym was in the 2024 WPIAL semifinal round.

After winning nine in a row and 17 of 18, including two playoff games, TJ lost a gut-wrenching 77-75 decision to Moon at a standing-room-only gym AHN Arena.

Tags: Thomas Jefferson