Buzzer beater gives Wisconsin Lutheran tourney title in South Carolina

Wisconsin Lutheran's boys basketball team traveled long distance and won from deep.

A 3-pointer at the buzzer from Zavier Zens caught every part of the rim before falling through, channeling a famous Kawhi Leonard shot as the Vikings won the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, clinched with a 57-54 victory Dec. 30 over North Crowley, Texas.

Zens, a Northern Iowa commit, finished the game with 26 points on 9 of 12 shooting (4 of 5 from 3-point range) and was named Tournament MVP, while teammates Kager and Kinston Knueppel were named All-Tournament Team.

Wisconsin Lutheran's name recognition is often tied to the Knueppel family; it's the place where current breakout NBA rookie Kon Knueppel II led the Vikings to a Division 2 state title two years ago, and Kager played a key role in the school's repeat last year, this time in Division 1.

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But Zens has now moved into third place on the Wisconsin Lutheran career-scoring ledger, and he was a key factor in both titles, including a team-high 19 points in last year's 57-55 championship win over Marshfield. Zens' basket with 36 seconds left in last year's game gave Wisco a 1-pont lead that it wouldn't relinquish in the final. Though he hasn't passed Kon Knueppel II and Flavien Davis on Wisco's all-time leaderboard, Zens moved past Knueppel's father, also named Kon, earlier this year.

Wisco moved to 9-0 this season with three wins in South Carolina, including a 77-33 victory over Myrtle Beach High School and a 49-38 win over George Rogers Clark High School from Winchester, Kentucky, outside of Lexington.

The Beach Ball Classic dates back to 1981, and Wisco is the first Wisconsin-based team to win the title.

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How did the Wisco boys celebrate the achievement, you might ask? Obviously, with a stop at Waffle House, including group photo with a member of the Waffle House staff holding the trophy.

According to the On3 national rankings, Wisconsin Lutheran is ranked No. 32 in the nation and was the top team in their eight-team bracket in Myrtle Beach, though North Crowley is also a top-100 team at No. 92.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Buzzer beater gives Wisconsin Lutheran tourney title in South Carolina