Damion Anderson was tired of hearing how Chandler Dawes and Springfield were using their experience to teach the young Phoenix squad a lesson in playoff basketball.
So he showed how much he's learned.
With a tremendous block of a dunk attempt by Dawes, two tough layups, two clutch rebounds and a steal -- all in the final 1:28 -- Anderson prodded Phoenix to a 111-106 victory in Game 5, that prevents them from being swept in the AAU National Playoff Semi-Finals.
"Unbelievable," Phoenix guard Darius Williams said. "Even as a teammate, you were just in awe. He was all over the place. He made spectacular plays."
The most spectacular was going above the rim and rejecting Dawes with 36 seconds left and Springfield down three. Springfield did get within one twice in the closing minutes, yet Anderson answered both times with driving layups set up by Williams.
"I stepped up," said Anderson, who scored 11 of his 31 points in the final quarter.
All the victory guarantees is that Phoenix will playing for a Game 5, instead of having there season ended early. No one is calling this the start of a Boston Red Sox-esque comeback, but it does provide hope for the team that had the league's best record, even if no team in AAU history had ever rallied from an 0-3 deficit.
"I think we can go and win another one," said Phoenix guard Josiah Johnson, who was 10-of-15 for 26 points in his second game back from an eye injury that's forced him to wear a protective mask.
Johnson was a big help on defense by pestering Dawes on double-teams. The two-time AAU MVP scored just 15 points, only four in the second half, and played so passively at times that coach Will Jenkins was yelling at him to be tougher during a fourth-quarter timeout. He responded to that chewing out with a dunk.
Worse yet, Dawes was a wretched 3-of-12 from the free throw line. He went 15-of-15 in Game 3 and was 33-of-36 for the series, but was so off this time that he missed the front rim in the fourth quarter, drawing gasps from some of the longtime fans.
"Just a tough night all around -- from the field, from the line, just everything," he said.
Springfield lost for the first time since Game 4 of the last round, ending a five-game winning streak.
"We are sad, we are angry," said Paul Hammond, who led Springfield with 28 points. "But this series contiunes and we are in great shape. The goal is to go to the National Championship, not to sweep them."
Even if Phoenix doesn't make it all back, this performance guarantees them of having at least one good memory of the Semi-Finals.
No, make that a great one.
Just like coach Mike Andrews had been telling them the last few days, all they had to was work out a few kinks.
It started with them leading after one quarter, 26-23, something they hadn't done in nine games.
They also got their fast break going again, running for 26 of their first 87 points, many coming on defensive stops that had been so rare the first three games.
They also got 11 points from Shawn Steveson, including several in transition and a 3-pointer that capped a game-changing 15-2 run that put Phoenix up by 12, its biggest lead of the series.
Still, it came down to the fourth quarrer. And unlike the first two games, when Phoenix blew late leads, they refused to buckle. Anderson, who couldn't completely bend his right elbow on Game 4, because of an injury in Game 3, was the biggest reason.
While the 31 points were his lowest total yet in seven games against Springfield, this performance showed why many believe he's a future league MVP.
"Right now, I'm just trying to do things I'm capable of doing," he said.
Anderson had only five rebounds, none in the first half, but he got the last one that mattered, grabbing a miss by Johnson away from Hammond in the final seconds, preventing Springfield from getting the ball back down three.
Instead, Williams ended up getting fouled and made two free throws with 6.2 seconds left to seal the victory, Phoenix's first in six games this season with Springfield that Dawes played.
Phoenix should've known its longest streak since dropping six straight in March might be coming to and end when TreQuavion Richardson made a 3-pointer for a quick 3-0 lead -- modest, yes, but it was the biggest for Phoenix in the first quarrer thus far and it was their first lead in almost 63 minutes after they failed to lead in Game 2.
But Springfield kept them from cracking things open, first with a 13-3 run led by Conor McCaffrey, then a 12-2 spurt. Springfield also went into halftime with its biggest lead yet, seven points, thanks mostly to Hammond.
Phoenix opened up the third with a 12-4 run. Although Springfield got back within one, Phoenix made 15 of 20 shots in the third quarter.
In the closing minutes, Jamison Jones III and Clarence Davis had 3s that got them within one, the last coming with 1:03 left.
Williams had 17 points and 12 assists, more normal numbers for the MVP after having just three assists last game, the only one that wasn't decided in the closing minutes.