Picture Supply: Getty
In the event you’ve ever watched the NBC sci-fi sequence “Heroes,” then you definately’re in all probability conversant in the oft-repeated mantra “save the cheerleader, save the world.” However at Thursday evening’s NCAA Match sport between Indiana and Saint Mary’s, two cheerleaders had been those who saved the world — nicely, not less than the sport — after they used a stunt to retrieve a basketball caught above the backboard, creating what was arguably one of the best second of the evening.
Just some minutes into the second half, an Indiana participant took a shot, and the ball received caught between the backboard and the shot clock, about 13 ft up. This set off an entertaining sequence of makes an attempt by refs and gamers to retrieve the ball: first with the deal with of a mop (nowhere near tall sufficient to achieve the ball), then by standing on a folding chair (nonetheless a number of ft shy). The gang rapidly turned invested within the ball retrieval, cheering on the efforts of the individuals on the court docket whereas CBS Sports play-by-play announcer Andrew Catalon added commentary as if it had been all a part of the sport itself.
🗣 “SHE’S GOT IT! WHAT A PLAY!”
The cheerleader saves the day 😂👏 #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/pxQ3eh2Sod
— NCAA March Insanity (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 18, 2022
Ultimately, Catalon started to say, “Why do not the cheerleaders, they’re used to going up excessive” — simply as Hoosiers cheerleaders Nathan Paris and Cassidy Cerny executed a associate stunt to go retrieve the ball. With Cerny standing on his fingers, Paris walked over to behind the ring and pressed Cerny overhead, the place she simply grabbed the ball and tossed it all the way down to the court docket. The stadium erupted into applause, and Catalon reacted about as enthusiastically as if it had been a buzzer three-pointer. “Oh, what a play!” Catalon mentioned. “The cheerleader saves the day, and that is her one shining second. This place is at its ft. The cheerleader is the hero in Portland.”
They usually made it appear like NBD. “It was too excessive to get for the grounds crew they usually did not need anyone on the steps, so I grabbed Cass and we’re like, ‘alright push up and we’ll see if it really works,'” Paris instructed Sports Illustrated. “It was simply one other stunt.” Cerny chimed in, agreeing, “It was fairly straightforward.”
After the sport, Cerny posted a photograph of the second on her Instagram with, truthfully, the proper caption: “dont fear guys i received it.”
Their second of fame continued into Friday, when Cerny and Paris appeared on the “Today” show. “As cheerleaders, we’re all the time in search of a response from the gang, so for us to be doing one thing that will get that sort of response is sort of a once-in-a-lifetime factor,” Paris mentioned on the present.
Sadly, that crowd help did not assist Indiana within the sport itself; they misplaced to Saint Mary’s 82-53. As for the IU cheerleading staff? They’re going to dwell on as the primary viral heroes of this yr’s March Insanity.
