Charlie LaBarre scored the game-winning basket in Ocean City's 46-44 come-from-behind win over Cherry Hill West in the South Jersey Group 3 boys' basketball quarterfinals played at Ocean City High School in Ocean City, New Jersey on Tuesday, February 27, 2024. Kevin Emmons/South Jersey Sports Zone
OCEAN CITY - Charlie LaBarre made the biggest shot of his life.
He felt no pressure in the seconds leading up to his heroics.
The senior attacked the lane from the top of the key and scored on a euro step at the buzzer as Ocean City stunned Cherry Hill West, 46-44, in the South Jersey Group 3 quarterfinals on Tuesday night.
Teammates and the Red Raiders' student section flooded the court at Dixie Howell Gymnasium.
"It was surreal," LaBarre said. "My teammates trusted me. It was a tie game, so I knew there wasn't much pressure if I missed. We we're going to go into overtime. But it went in and that's it.
"We never panicked. We played (St. Augustine) Prep and we were down at least 20 and our coaches trusted us. We all trust the process and we just stuck to the gameplan. Our coaches said swing the ball every possession. Trust in ourselves."
Ocean City trailed by 19 points at halftime and outscored the Lions, 28-7, in the second half.
Quinn Gibson scored 12 of his team-high 15 points in the first half for Cherry Hill West. Cherry Hill East transfer Carter Gill splashed three 3-pointers in the second quarter. The Lions scored 18 of their 37 points in the first half from beyond the arc.