The Covenant Lions made sure to make their final basketball game of 2022 a memorable one. The Lions repeated as TNCAA champions last March, beating Madison Academy 65-64 in overtime at the buzzer.

Noah Mason, the school’s all-time leading scorer after torching nets his entire senior year, was able to get the final shot to roll in over a double team, cementing his legacy as one of the best Lions of all time. He scored 36 points in the championship game, none bigger than the last two that sealed the victory.

“I have dreamed of hitting the game winner while working in my driveway since I was a kid. Now that it actually happened, it’s overwhelming,” said Mason after leading the program to back-to-back TNCAA titles. “I couldn’t have asked for a better team this share the experience with.”

Coach Johnny Smith, who took over the program midseason and led the group to the title, didn’t overthink the last play. He knew exactly what to do with 5.5 seconds left and the game on the line.

“I think the whole gym knew where the ball was going. I would have been comfortable with any man on the court taking the shot, but in the end, Noah wanted the ball and he finished,” said Smith.