VIENNA — For nearly the entire game, the Vienna junior varsity Eagles were chasing the scoreboard. In the final seconds, sophomore Talan Reeves made sure they finished on top.

Reeves drilled a three-point shot from the top of the key as time expired to give Vienna a 53-52 victory over Steeleville and secure a third-place finish in the Bourbon JV Tournament. Video of the game-winning shot can be seen on the MCA Facebook page.

Vienna trailed throughout most of the contest and did not take its first lead until just over five minutes remained in the fourth quarter. After nearly 27 minutes of playing from behind, the Eagles erased a double-digit deficit and surged ahead 43-41 with 4:51 left to play.

The game remained tight down the stretch before the final possession found its way into Reeves’ hands.

“I didn’t think I’d come down with it,” Reeves said. “I kind of told my teammate Wyatt what I was gonna do with the ball and I’m surprised I got the ball off.”

The shot capped a relentless comeback effort fueled by persistence on both ends of the floor, as Vienna refused to fold despite trailing for more than 80 percent of the game.

“Determination is key,” Reeves said. “I’m happy my teammates trusted me with the ball too.”

JV head coach Tim Simmons said the comeback was built on composure and execution late in the game.

“I told the kids that they had to remain focused,” Simmons said. “That they had to run the offense. That was part of the deal in coming back. You don’t want to let up, you have to keep going.”

The final play unfolded exactly as drawn up, even if it was unfamiliar territory.

“The play went off exactly like we designed,” Simmons said with a laugh. “We did it effectively once. Right now…we’ve never done that in practice.”

While Reeves certainly showed out and led all scorers with 27 points to pace the Eagles, it was a team effort that pushed the third place trophy. Wyatt Wulff added eight points along with several key blocked shots showcasing his leaping ability, Bryce Ewers scored four points and added a few steals to his total when Vienna started to play press defense. Jaiden Hayes contributed five points and ran the guard spot effectively, Chase Weeks added three off a sweet 3-pointer, Paxten Jeremy, Cooper Kleffner and Gage Curler each finished with two points. Kleffner was an ace at the line and Curler was seen throwing some “fancy” passes to his teammates that sparked “oooh’s and ahhh’s from the crowd. Parker James rounded out the team and added one point from the charity stripe, putting a stamp on a statement tournament win.

While the buzzer-beater will be remembered most, the victory reflected a full team performance built on resilience, defense and belief until the final whistle.

Earlier in the day, Vienna fell to Belle in morning tournament play before regrouping for the dramatic third-place matchup against Steeleville. Belle defeated Vienna 56-51 in a contest that was decided in the final quarter.

The Eagles carried a 40-37 lead into the fourth after a strong 20-point third quarter, but Belle answered with a 19-point final period while limiting Vienna to 11 points to secure the win.

Reeves led Vienna with 14 points, while Ewers added 10 and Wulff finished with eight. Weeks scored seven points, Hayes and James each added five, and Jeremy contributed two points.

With the tournament complete, Vienna’s junior varsity record now stands at 9-7 overall. The Eagles return to action at home against Crocker on Feb. 17, followed by another home matchup on Feb. 18, against Russellville.