In the 74-72 championship-game victory, the 6-11 center had 27 points, nine rebounds and 11 assists, including the 3-pointer that, according to Washington coach Dave Omer, was not a prayer. It was a shot. There might have been prayers flying with it, but that was a play the Hatchets had practiced.

Plymouth was leading the game by a point, but Washington had the ball with 1.8 seconds left in overtime.

In the huddle, Zeller asked for the ball. Omer agreed, making Zeller promise to turn and dribble the ball before the shot. Plenty of time.

As soon as the inbound pass from the far baseline reached Zeller's hands, he turned, took a running dribble, jumped from the midcourt line and sent the high, arching shot sailing with six-tenths of a second on the clock.

Because his parents had to be on the court when he was presented with the Trester Award for mental attitude, they were standing behind cheerleaders under the basket during the overtime and didn't see the shot leave his hands.

"All I saw was the ball coming through the bottom of the net," said his mother, Lorri Zeller. "I was worried that it might not count because I couldn't see the clock, but when I saw the refs running off the court, that was good enough for me."

After the game, Zeller told reporters he wanted to take the shot because he didn't want that on anyone else's shoulders.

"I'm going on to Notre Dame," Zeller explained later. "I'm going to have other chances.