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EDITOR'S NOTE: This is a series looking back at the Top 10 boys basketball teams, coaches, games and players from the last decade.
Nearly everybody watching the game knew who was getting the basketball. Devon Prep sure knew and swarmed Brian Gerney as the final seconds ticked away.
Hughesville and Devon Prep were locked in a tie 2010 Class AA second-round state tournament game at Milton Hershey. Gerney was Hughesville's most valuable player, its best player and the player who had taken the game over after Devon Prep built a 13-point late third-quarter lead. Of course he was getting the basketball at this most crucial time.
Those who had followed Hughesville all year also knew something else. Gerney was about to go Jimmy Chitwood. He was going to make it.
Gerney took a pass on the left wing, dribbled along the baseline and drained a game-winning, pull-up jumper with just two seconds remaining as the Spartans won, 49-47, reaching their second straight Elite Eight. Gerney scored 12 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter and helped Hughesville flex its collective muscle again on the state stage, a year after going to the Final Four.
"We want the ball in the guy's hands that makes plays," Hughesville coach Nick Tagliaferri said afterward. "I always knew there was a little clutch in him."
Gerney had a lot of clutch in him and Tagliaferri had seen it since he was playing as a sixth grader and draining big shots late in summer-league games against high school players. Following in Rezin Davis' foot steps, Gerney became Hughesville's Mr. Big Shot, delivering time after time after time against strong opponents in the most pressure-filled situations. Gerney averaged 23.5 points points against six state-ranked opponents that season, sparking the Devon Prep comeback as well as a first-round comeback against Dunmore and a regular-season thriller at undefeated Loyalsock.
Gerney played only one season last decade, but what a season it was. Moving from shooting guard to point guard, Gerney became the first area Class AA player in the 2000s to earn first team all-state honors. The senior leader became Hughesville's only first team all-state selection a year after Davis earned second-team honors.
It was Gerney's older brother Taylor Volpe and his senior teammates who ignited a Hughesville basketball renaissance in 2006. That year, the Spartans won their first district title since 1931 and Gerney's 2010 team made it three district titles in five years with five consecutive state tournament appearances.
"I just wanted to help the team any way I could," Gerney said after being named all-state. "My brother's team got it started in '06 when they won districts and then last year we kind of made a name for ourselves at the state level. If your team is not good enough to play well against other really good teams than nobody is going to show up to watch you play. If you are on a good team you can get noticed and that helps a lot."
Gerney was instrumental in helping Hughesville be so recognized from 2008-10. The Spartans went 74-11 during that time, capturing two district titles, three league crowns and winning six state tournament games. Gerney was outstanding as a sophomore and junior, consistently stuffing the stat sheet while also playing fabulous defense.
Strong, quick and smart, Gerney was a defensive stopper throughout his three years, but it was his offense which most noticed first. That was especially true in 2010 when Gerney averaged 17.5 points per game and led the team in assists and steals. Gerney was outstanding off the dribble, had great vision and set up his teammates well, but he also might have been the decade's best shooter.
Gerney made 75 3-pointers his senior year, shooting a remarkable 50% from behind the arc. The percentage seemed to go up in bigger games. And while his points per game and other stats might not have been eye-popping, that was because Hughesville's primary strength was its balance and depth. Gerney could put on a show, but the Spartans never were a one-man show and he was a consummate teammate as well as player.
"He has no weaknesses. I've never seen a more complete offensive player," Tagliaferri said after Gerney's all-state selection. "This is a tribute to his work ethic and coming from a basketball family and constantly being pushed by the other guys on the team."
Gerney pushed his teammates to be at their best when things sometimes looked the worst. Hughesville traveled to Loyalsock that January with the teams a combined 20-0 and fans lining up to get into the gym an hour before the JV game tipped. Loyalsock looked to have things under control, leading by 13 in the fourth quarter and allowing just 21 points through three quarters.
But Gerney erupted and his teammates followed.
Hughesville dominated the game's final 2 minutes, outscored Loyalsock by 29 during that span and pulled away in overtime to win, 65-49. Had Gerney not made a last-second drive to score, the game would never have reached overtime. He rebounded a missed free throw with 10 seconds remaining in regulation, sprinted upcourt, weaved through two defenders in the paint and hit a game-tying layup with three seconds remaining. He scored 27 of his 30 points in the second half and was money at the foul line, draining 19 of 20 free throws as Hughesville left Loyalsock's fans stunned.
"I just brought it up quick and saw nobody was really in that lane so I just went to the hoop and laid it in and it worked out well," Gerney said afterward. "The team is starting to come together and we put it together at the end of the fourth quarter and into overtime."
They continued putting it together from there, going 25-3 and routing Loyalsock, 48-30 for the district championship. Gerney helped Hughesville reach that final three nights earlier when he drained a go-ahead 3-pointer later against South Williamsport, igniting a 10-point flurry in the last two minutes of a 45-37 victory.
Some might shy from the spotlight, but Gerney embraced it all season and played his best basketball throughout the playoffs, especially states where he averaged nearly 21 points per game. The Devon Prep performance was Gerney at his best as all aspects of his game and his character came together when there was no margin for error.
Gerney played another fantastic game against powerhouse Imhotep in the quarterfinals, scoring a game-high 24 points, but the Spartans suffered a gut-wrenching 42-37 defeat. Gerney went on to enjoy a solid collegiate career and helped Dickinson reach the country's Elite Eight as a senior in 2014.
Gerney's picture now hangs outside the Hughesville gymnasium on its wall of fame. How he earned it says even more about his impact than than the honor itself.
"This shows if you get a group of guys who really work well together and put the time and work in and are willing to sacrifice and go places to do whatever it takes to get better than you can get your name mentioned with all the elite teams and play well against those guys," Gerney said.
"Brian was relentless. He was a tireless worker," Tagliaferri said. "Now the kids in the future know it (first team all-state) can be done. You work hard and you compete and you don't hide when the lights go on and you can achieve great things."