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SENSATIONAL SEVEN FOR JANUARY 1ST

The last few days of 2012 provided plenty of spectacular highlights, beginning with Jeff Haley of QND wrestling. It doesn't take long before his hapless Rochester opponent becomes over-matched, as Haley scores a reversal followed by the pin. Great execution to put the match away.

Big surprise - another buzzer-beater, this time from Cody Hildebrand. He corrals a steal at one end, and in the final seconds of the half, gets himself in position to knock down a 3 as time expires. When you factor in the theft plus his mid-air contortion, its certainly a play worth remembering.

Western Illinois' Adam Link put on a dunk clinic this weekend against IPFW. An open path to the hoop means Link will finish in style, not once, but twice. He scored 16 points in the Leatherneck win, helping his team to its best start in over 30 years.

Clutch play of the week goes to Graci Bastert, who gave Illini West a lead over Havana with this steal and layup in the final 10 seconds of the game. The Chargers, however, were the victims of a controversial last-second Havana bucket, but either way, Bastert made one of the plays of the year in this wild finish.

Stand up and applaud Griggsville-Perry boys hoops, who marched into the Carrollton Tourney and rattled off 4 straight wins to lay claim to the title. The Tornadoes beat 5-time defending champ Carrollton in the championship game to win the tourney for the very first time.

More from Payson-Seymour, as Cody Hildebrand and Gage Klitz hook up for everybody's favorite play. This alley-oop is a result of Hildebrand reading the defense and Klitz making his move at the right moment. It all ends with big-time throwdown to amp up the crowd.

But how about two alley-oops in one play? Central's Douglas Weese inbounds to Marcus Landes, who catches and lobs back to Weese for the twisting lay-in at the buzzer. Its not surprising when two football stars show off good hands and very good results on the basketball floor. And that's your Sensational 7.>