It was a wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am play that ended the game on Schlessel's layup as the buzzer sounded in overtime, bringing around 100 red-clad Cherry Hill East students pouring out of the stands and onto the court in celebration.
"Unbelievable way to win," said Gurkin, who started the dramatic final play with a rebound and outlet pass.
The victory lifted Cherry Hill East (11-2), which had dropped out of The Inquirer Top 10 this week after losing two in a row, into a share of first place in the Olympic American with a 2-1 mark in division play.
Eastern, which rose to No. 1 in the rankings Monday based on its status as the Olympic's last unbeaten team, fell to 10-1 overall and 2-1 in the division.
There was something fitting about the last play, since it went senior to senior to senior, and since those veterans have been the leaders of a Cougars team that has been one of the surprises in South Jersey this season.
"We've played together so long," said Schlessel, who led all scorers with 27, including a three-point jumper that broke the ice in overtime.
Schlessel and Gurkin (17 points, 10 rebounds, five blocks) both made three-pointers in overtime. Eastern received two free throws from junior Devon Bell (15 points) as well as hoops from senior guard Brett Knoblauch and junior forward Avery Walker (15 points, eight rebounds) to knot the score at 58.
Eastern had possession with 20 seconds to play. The Vikings worked for a shot and got an open look from the right corner with around 0:07 on the clock.
The shot kicked off the rim, and Gurkin grabbed his 10th rebound with 4.5 seconds to play.
"Get it and go," Gurkin said of his mind-set.
Gurkin fired an outlet pass to Gold, who looked up and saw Schlessel racing down court.
"I know Marc likes to leak out," Gold said. "My thought was just to get my feet set and take a step and get it to him."
The speedy Schlessel said he took off as soon as the ball hit the rim and bounced in the other direction.
"I saw the clock when I got the ball," Schlessel said. "It wasn't the most difficult shot in the world."
Schlessel caught the ball in the lane, landed on both feet, jumped, and laid the ball off the glass. It fell through as the buzzer sounded.
"I've made some clutch shots," Schlessel said. "But given the circumstances - overtime, away, with all our fans there - it was an unbelievable feeling."
Cherry Hill East 11 16 13 12 8 – 60
Eastern 11 8 18 15 6 – 58
CHE: Marc Schlessel 27, Jake Gurkin 17, Gary Hettinger 4, Jake Siple 2, Hank Davis 8, Austin Wetzler 2.
E: Mike Wilson 7, Devon Bell 15, Brett Knoblauch 4, Avery Walker 15, Melvin Ford 2, Steve Schneider 12, Sam Johnson 3.
Contact staff writer Phil Anastasia at 856-779-3223, panastasia@phillynews.com, or @PhilAnastasia on Twitter.
