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Wayne Randal-Bashay saved New Iberia Senior High’s magical season Tuesday night.

The NISH junior flushed home the game-winning basket as the Jackets, to coin a term that will be heard later in March, survive and advance as top-seed New Iberia held off a challenge from No. 16 seed East Ascension and beat the Spartans 36-35 in the second round of the Non-Select Division I playoffs.

With the win, NISH advances to the quarterfinals for the second straight season and will play host to No. 8 seed Northshore, a 76-74 winner in double overtime over Salmen.

But that game is still a couple of days away. Tuesday night, it was all about celebrating a big win for the Jackets after a 10 day layoff and a first-round bye for being the No. 1 seed.

And it was Randal-Bashay’s crowing moment in a game that he was the leading scorer with 19 points.

“We were up 1 with 20 second left and I told the guys ‘one stop, one rebound and we had possession of the jump ball,'” NISH coach Chad Pourciau said. “I said I don’t think that they will score but if they do, let’s just grab the rebound and push because we have one timeout left and they are going to be scrambling.”

“We contested the shot but they got the rebound and laid it in with 16 seconds left.”

Then it was Randall-Bashay time.

“I told KD (Kylan Dugas) before the game that if you get the rebound, throw it to me and I’m going to win the game for us,” the NISH junior said. “KD got the ball to me and I was thinking that I had to score it or we go home.”

Randal-Bashay got the inbound pass from Dugas, took it up court, beat the EA defense and flushed it home to give the Jackets a 36-35 lead with 1.2 second left.

Or so the crowd thought.

“First it was 1.2, then 2, then it was reset to 4 seconds. I didn’t know what was going on,” Pourciau said.

After a lengthy discussion by the officials, the game clock was reset to 4 seconds but it really didn’t matter to Randal-Bashay.

“We weren’t going to let them score,” he said.

East Ascension got off a shot at the buzzer but the ball clanked harmlessly off the iron and the Jackets had the last second, come-from-behind win.

“This was an important win for us,” Randall-Bashay said. “We get to go back to the third round of the playoffs and we get it at home. Friday’s game means a lot of us, a lot to the fans and a lot to the city. We get a chance to do something that hasn’t been done here in a long time.”

For Pourciau, it was big win as well since the Jackets were playing without one starter out with an ankle injury and the fact that the team had a terrible night shooting the ball but was still able to come away with the win.

“Our guys found a way to win,” the NISH coach said. “Our point guard (Austin Delahoussaye) rolled his ankle yesterday.”

“He wanted to play, but couldn’t. For those guys to step up and find away for him, for us, to advance. It’s special. It was a team win.”