Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
In an unusually balanced blowout Friday night in Oakesdale, the Nighthawk boys lost 62-32 to Pomeroy.
Tekoa-Oakesdale’s Jesse Johnson takes the ball to the basket in the second half Friday night in Oakesdale.Senior Max Mueller led the Nighthawks with 13 points and 12 rebounds while Pomeroy’s Tanner Fieder scored 19 and Riley Bott had 13.
It all added up to a long walk through the students and cheerleaders line at the end of the game for the Nighthawks.
“We came out and played well in the first quarter and we had our opportunities,” said Tekoa-Oakesdale coach Ken Lindgren. “But they created a lot of turnovers and easy baskets.”
The game began with the ball getting slapped around, knees hitting the floor and deflected passes bouncing off the gym wall. The few shots that got off had similar results. A Nighthawk attempt hit nothing but air, followed by a Pomeroy shot off of only glass.
With seconds left in the first quarter, the Nighthawks trailed 6-4 when Pomeroy hit a three-pointer at the end to open a lead.
Tekoa-Oakesdale’s Mueller kept missing shots and Pomeroy expanded their lead to 18-5 before Nighthawks coach Lindgren called timeout to regroup.
The teams took the floor again and the Nighthawks’ inbound man stepped on the line, giving the ball straight back to Pomeroy. Tekoa-Oakesdale quickly stole it back, however, but the ballhandler fell down and got called for traveling.
It was shaping up to be that kind of night.
Back on offense, Mueller got fouled and made two free throws before Jesse Johnson angled for a three-footer which was slapped back at him.
Pomeroy then took the ball down the floor and Tanner Fieder dribbled in for an under the rim lay-in and foul on Mueller. He finished the play for 24-9 Pomeroy with 2:45 left in the half.
The Nighthawks kept at it, though. Marcus Pluff scored on a hard inside lay-up and foul to make it 26-12 and then an eight-foot turnaround by Mueller made it 28-14.
But Pomeroy answered with the same shot of their own.
In the third quarter, Pomeroy’s Riley Bott scored on a dunk and foul as the ball continued to be hard to hold by both teams.
Mueller then completed a smooth cut and drive to the hoop only to see his shot drop off the front of the rim. He corrected it on the next possession with a drive to the basket for two, while Pomeroy answered right back with a three-pointer to go up 45-19.
Nearing the end of three, the Nighthawk fans cheered as Pomeroy brought the ball up the floor with eight seconds remaining.
“Come on, no shot!” a fan yelled. “Don’t let them get a shot!”
Seven seconds later, Pomeroy’s Cody Lamunyan downed a three-pointer to make it 52-19 with 0.00 left in the third.
The trend continued to the end.
“It’s one of those games. You try to learn from it and move on,” said Lindgren. “When we meet them again, you hope to execute more of the things you do in practice to give them a tougher game.”
The Tekoa-Oakesdale team features three players who, after playing little or no junior high or high school basketball, decided to come out for their senior year; Jesse Johnson, Russell Erickson and Nick Doneen.
The team will play next at St. John-Endicott (1-5 league, 1-8 overall) on Friday night.
Coach Ken Lindgren addresses the Nighthawks during a timeout. Tekoa-Oakesdale’s team includes three seniors who have played little organized basketball since middle school.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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