PHOTO GALLERY: Rising Sun boys lacrosse ousts C. Milton Wright

Brandon Aro (right) and JP Prodoehl celebrate the Rising Sun boys lacrosse team's thrilling victory over C. Milton Wright, Wednesday, May 7.

    Brandon Aro hit the bull's-eye.
    It gave the Rising Sun boys lacrosse team the most significant victory in the program's history.
    The Tigers posted a breathtaking 3-2 overtime victory over host C. Milton Wright Wednesday night.

    "The last time where there was a flag down and I passed it, it went out of bounds," Aro said. "I was kicking myself because I didn't shoot it. Wyatt Kennedy and I talked about it (to avoid an offsides infraction). He's an LSM (long stick midfielder). So I just went over and I followed the play with Jamie (Butler). He passed it to me. I did a little split-dodge. I kept running and put the ball at the goalie's feet and it went in."
    It was Aro's first goal of the season and just the second of his career, not uncommon for a long stick defenseman, even one as good as Aro. "I scored a goal as a freshman, not nearly the magnitude of this one." Aro understated. "I wanted a goal all season. I was mad I didn't get one on Senior Night. This was a perfect opportunity to get one."
    The Mustangs scored their only two goals in the first half and held that two-goal lead until Rising Sun's Brad Alexander scored with a minute left in the third quarter.
    The Tigers tied it with 11:01 remaining in the fourth quarter. Alex Billings intercepted a pass in Rising Sun's defensive end of the field, and raced across midfield down the center of the field. He passed the ball to Alexander, who quickly fed Connor Burkhardt was who stationed to the left of the cage. Burkhardt buried it to make it a 2-2 game.
    Aro, who will attend Navy prep school for a year before playing Division I lacrosse for the Midshipmen, said the Tigers continued to gain confidence the longer they managed to stay in the game. "We got down 2-0 at halftime," he said. "They hadn't scored since the first half."
    Rising Sun had all of the momentum but could not capitalize on extra man opportunities, including a two-man advantage with seven minutes to go, and another extra man chance with 3:10 left.
    C. Milton Wright nearly won the game with under a minute to go but a shot clanged off the post. Rising Sun goalie Taylor Saubier made on another shot with 15 seconds left. The Tigers had possession in the final 10 seconds but could not get a shot away.

RELATED: Click HERE to view photos from the Tigers' Senior Night.

     In overtime, Rising Sun squandered another extra man opportunity before Aro's game-winner.
    Aro and fellow close defenders Kyle Lammey and Bryan Butler have deservedly gotten their fair share of accolades this season. The trio played superbly again Wednesday and Saubier (11 saves) and the other Tiger defenders also came up big.
    "Wyatt had a huge game," said Rising Sun coach Jim Tucker. "We talk about our close defenders. I throw Wyatt, Jamie Butler, and Alex Billings right in there. They may be 10-12 yards out but they're just as much a part of the defense. The six guys, I won't say are impenetrable, but they're a very difficult lot to deal with. This is not just me talking. I get a lot of feedback from referees and other coaches. These guys just do a phenomenal job. I told the guys (Tuesday), who are we? Let's define ourselves. And what we are is a strong defensive team. It's not meant to be a slight against anyone else. That's our strength and we have to lean on that. It's a little more nerve-wracking because they expend a lot of energy but we have to lean on those guys. That's who we are right now. This was so good for the kids. I'm so happy for the kids."
    The Tigers visit Patapsco, the top seed in the section, Friday at 5:30. They will do so with a great deal of confidence.
    "No question it's the biggest win in school history," an emotional Tucker said. "And we were down three midfielders, one starter for sure (Justin Hopkins), and two of our faceoff guys have injuries. So we were a little understaffed at midfield. We asked guys to play more minutes. I asked different units of the team, offense and defense, to do certain things. And they listened. They did what I asked them to do. That's pretty impressive. They did what I asked them to do and it showed … I'm really proud of the way the kids listened and responded, down a few people. (C. Milton Wright) is a good squad. It's a deep squad. They have a ton of kids. They're well-coached. They're fast. I'm so proud of these kids. This has to be the biggest win in the school's history. We've never beaten a team this far north in Harford County. So we live to fight another day. We'll enjoy it. We'll do down to Patapsco and see what we can do Friday night."

    UPDATE: The Tigers trounced Patapsco 13-1. Photos will be posted Sunday.