This free throw was for Holly, the town that Aiden Hignite loves and the place that raised him.
Hignite stood nervously at the free throw line with 1.6 seconds remaining in overtime of a tied, 82-82 boys basketball game between rivals Holly and Fenton in a frenzied Fenton gym. To add to the drama Hignite had missed the first free throw and only had one more shot to hit the winning shot.
His mind remained blank until it switched to “win one for Holly,”
Hignite (31 points) was flawless for much of the game. His only kryptonite being at the free throw line where he missed five of 10 attempts. This time Hignite would not miss. He focused, went through his progressions of creating a perfect free throw form and made the second shot which gave Holly (2-4 overall, 1-1 in the Flint Metro League Stripes Division) its second consecutive victory, 83-82 over the Tigers.
“It’s hard to explain,” Hignite said. “There is so much. Nothing against Fenton, but I’ve never liked the school. It’s not an unsportsmanlike thing. It’s just not my favorite.”
Sounds like a rival.
This game looked personal. Both teams locked into each other and there were a number of scuffles on the floor. Regulation ended in controversy when Fenton guard Jakyi Brown- Abston drove the length of the court in the waning seconds and went crashing to the floor while putting up a shot.
Abston and the Fenton faithful thought Abston was foul. However, the officials called a charging foul on Abston, which angered the crowd.
“The checks in the mail now go back to Holly,” fans screamed at the officials.
There were dozens of ties and lead changes throughout the game. Fenton held its biggest lead of the game (61-55) with 5:25 remaining in regulation following a three-point basket by guard Spencer Irvin (12 points).
Holly sophomore guard Cole Heikka answered with a three-point bomb and sank a free throw to slice the lead to 61-59. Hignite tied it, 61-61, with a twisting layup.
No one could stop Hignite who used an arsenal of spin moves and twist to free himself inside. These were all moves he worked on this summer with his dad Steve who is also the junior varsity coach.
“That is both the blessing and the curse of having your dad as coach,” the younger Hignite said laughing.

“That’s just fun. Fun basketball,” Holly coach Steve Dehart said.