Built for the Buzzer: Why Blue Ridge keeps finding answers when the clock hits zero
By: Justin Bradley | SportzWire | January 17, 2026 | Photo courtesy Fran Durso / Justin Focus
When the clock is bleeding out and everything is on the line, the Blue Ridge Raiders never look rattled.
They look ready.
Twice in one week, Blue Ridge found itself in last-second situations - and twice, belief answered. A Paxton Pingarelli turnaround jump hook to sink Carbondale. A freshman, Jack Parks, drilling a buzzer-beating three against Montrose just moments after the game was tied.
🔗 Paxton Pingarelli Buzzer Beater vs Carbondale
🔗 Jack Parks Game Winner vs Montrose
From the outside, it feels chaotic. Almost lucky.
Inside the program, it feels familiar.
Because what’s happening late in games isn’t coincidence - it’s culture. And that culture, built by head coach Wes Parks, extends well beyond the five players on the floor.
Everyone’s Part of It
Before every game, Parks makes the same rounds. Every player gets a greeting. Every player gets a fist bump. And so do the cheerleaders.
It’s a small gesture with a big message: everyone matters.
That shared energy, players, cheer team, pep band, coaches, community, creates a connected environment where belief doesn’t just live on the bench. It lives in the gym.
It’s why Blue Ridge feels different. Why confidence spreads. Why pressure moments feel less heavy when the entire building is pulling the same direction.
Built Long Before the Buzzer
That belief was shaped years ago with a group that grew up together, Connor Cranage, Morgan Thomas, Carson Gallagher, Dylan Bradley, Ryan Scott, and Austin Grover, players Parks guided fresh out of junior high through back-to-back trips to the Arena championship game in 2023 and 2024.
They showed what Division III championship basketball looks like.
This year’s Raiders have seen it. They know it. And now, they’re out to show it.
That’s why a junior stays composed.
That’s why a freshman doesn’t hesitate.
That’s why the biggest moments feel earned, not lucky.
At Blue Ridge, buzzer-beaters aren’t accidents.
They’re the result of a program where belief is shared, confidence is cultivated, and culture includes everyone in the gym.
It’s not luck.
It’s connection.
It’s preparation.
It’s #WeAreBR.
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter / X
YouTube
