The March Madness spirit arrived early in Iowa during a stunning girls' high school basketball semifinal. Norwalk seemed poised for victory, leading by six points with just 45 seconds left against Dallas Center-Grimes.
Then, sophomore Ava Smid took over. Her layup cut the deficit to two with 32 seconds remaining. She immediately stole the inbound pass and scored again to tie the game. Smid wasn't done, intercepting another inbound pass, scoring, and drawing a foul to complete an unbelievable personal 8-point run in just 19 seconds.
Second-seeded DC-Grimes, which led for only 21 seconds total, secured a 47-42 win to advance. "We never had a doubt," Smid said post-game. She finished with 16 points, 6 steals, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists.
Smid's feat echoes Reggie Miller's legendary 8 points in 8.9 seconds for the Indiana Pacers in 1995. Her team now aims for a state championship against Carlisle on Saturday.