Waterford - Tie game, shadows lengthening and time growing desperate Tuesday night, the last night Matt Irvine would play a high school basketball game in his home gym. The last time before "Lancer Nation," the clever Waterford High student section that would make even the most ardent sourpuss crack up. The last time.

Matt Irvine had seen this movie before.

Like the last time the Lancers played, last week in the conference tournament semifinals. Irvine had the ball in his hands, his team down one, clock racing toward 0:00 and Irvine racing to the basket, with nothing but air in his way.

It's the dream undertaking in the driveway shooting hoops as a kid. Ball in your hands … game on the line …

Except that Matt Irvine missed the layup.

He fell to the floor in a heap.

"I've tried to get it off my mind," Irvine admitted Tuesday night, nearly a week later, "but I can't."

He will now.

Because fate had something redemptive in mind for him. This was the night that Irvine scored all 10 of his points in the last 10 minutes of a state tournament game, sending Waterford to a 60-49 win over Middletown and into the second round.

Suddenly, last week is a duller ache. And now the kid who saved the Thanksgiving Day football game with pass break-ups on the last two plays, the kid who couldn't run over to celebrate with his teammates that day because he cramped up in both legs, just rescued the basketball season, too.

Once again, sports are there to offer a second chance. Which is pretty much why we love them so much.

"Look how he responded," Waterford coach Greg Gwudz said. "On a bigger stage. This is bigger than the ECC semifinals. I'm very happy for him."

Indeed. Without Irvine, the Lancers would be lamenting all the wouldas, shouldas and couldas today. And listening to how the farmers here east of the river just can't compete with the Middletowns of the world.

It was 38-38 when Irvine, on the bench for a while and colder than January, checked into the game and immediately launched a three. He made it flawlessly. Gwudz, who had been begging his players to either take the ball to the basket or give it to center Nolan Long, turned to no one in particular and grinned, "Are you (kidding) me?"

It got better. Irvine's next three snapped a tie at 46, prompting assistant coach John Luzzi to attempt a fist pump with his right arm. Except that his right arm is in a sling. Luzzi experienced new depths of pain. But it hurt so good.

Irvine later followed Pat Rogers' miss with a rebound basket to put Waterford up four before a steal and a layup sealed it. Turns out Lancer Nation was prophetic when the "we want Irvine" chant began in the second quarter.

"My teammates picked me up," Irvine said, referring to the time between last week's miss and this week's makes. "They told me, 'This is when it counts.'"

And now Irvine's final memory in his home gym lasts only forever.

Irvine is part of a loyal, if not hilarious, senior class that has made Waterford High a fun place this year to watch games. Several seniors decided to play football for the first time, helping a 2-8 team a year earlier finish 7-3. The basketball team just finished 13-0 at home, playing in front of their classmates and friends who fill the student section and turn game nights into events.

This just in: It's not like this everywhere. Some student bodies are too cool for school. This one makes its school cool.

When it was clear the Lancers would win Tuesday, The Nation looked in the direction of athletic director Dave Sousa and chanted, "where's the fan bus?" several times. That's right. The Nation doesn't want this to end. So off they go to Berlin for the second round of the Class L tournament on Thursday.

So let's go, Dave. Fan bus.

Because, really, this has been just too much fun without one more night.

Or maybe two.

This is the opinion of Day sports columnist Mike DiMauro.