An Evanston Township High School basketball player’s miraculous game-winning shot from 80 feet away is a finalist for national honors in the 2018 ESPY Awards.

Freshman Blake Peters' one-handed buzzer-beater gave Evanston a one-point victory over Maine South High School on January 26. The video, first seen on Weigel Broadcasting’s The U Too “Game of the Week,” went viral. (Here is the link.)

Calling the game for The U Too were Jim Blaney and Kenny McReynolds. “It’s a huge national story for Weigel Broadcasting and our ‘Game of the Week,’” McReynolds said, calling the ESPY Awards “the Academy Awards of sports.”

Blake Peters

Peters’ shot is a finalist for the year’s best play. Winners will be announced July 18 on ABC.

Fred Weintraub, executive producer of Weigel Broadcasting, was in the production truck when the astonishing play happened.

“When Blake hit the shot, my U Too ‘Game of the Week’ team knew instinctively how best to capture the story and let the TV audience feel the joy and excitement felt in the gym that night,” Weintraub said. “Having produced hundreds of games, I thought, this is the purest form of sports journalism. We are all watching history being made, and I am honored to work for a company that is still committed to supporting high school sports with the U Too ‘Game of the Week.’

“How great is it that a high school athlete has an opportunity to be part of ESPY history and deserves all the votes he can get.”

Voting is at espn.com/espys. Peters is competing against plays from Super Bowl LII, the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship and the World Series of Softball.

Monday’s comment of the day: Darnell King: Think about it. Spreading the Reader outside to a wider cross section of the city offers new and exciting opportunities. Still, a strong digital platform is essential for success. In years to come, few will pick up a paper to read. It's a new era.