Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Oakesdale's Matt Hockett considers options in the first quarter Jan. 17 against Gar/Pal's Jacob Anderson and Ethan Hawkins. Tyler Bober is caught in the scrum.
It was in the hands of the three seniors at the end. Matt Hockett for Oakesdale hit a 19-foot shot for 46-44 Oakesdale with 13 seconds remaining.
Austin Jones, Gar/Pal's junior point guard pushed the ball up the floor – the same situation as the last time the two teams played in the Oakesdale gym, after a made Oakesdale shot, the clock dropping past 10 seconds left, Gar/Pal trailing, Jones dribbling up the right side. This time he bobbed and cut but had no opening to shoot. He passed in to Blake Jones, senior forward; arms, hands, feet, ticking, he threw the ball out to senior Dawson Dugger for the shot.
From 20 feet, just longer than Hockett's, to win.
In and out, buzzer.
Oakesdale took the game 46-44, to tie Gar/Pal at the top of the Southeast 1B League, both teams now 6-1.
"Dawson had the shot, it went in, then it went out," said Gar/Pal Coach Steve Swinney. "Both teams wanted this game, both worked hard for it, unfortunately for us it went their way."
It started close and quiet, Oakesdale's Kit Hockett with a couple back-hip passes and the Nighthawks led by four. A three-pointer from Blake Jones flipped a switch and a minute later another from Austin Jones tied the game at 22-22.
With under a minute to halftime, Dugger scored from 10 feet to put the Vikings up 25-22. Then Kit Hockett blocked a Gar/Pal shot to end a possession, then Ethan Hawkins did the same to Oakesdale, clean blocks. Seventeen seconds to half, Oakesdale passed the ball around the key – over to Ryan Henning in the corner, he drove and leapt from the baseline, spun and slipped the ball off the backboard and in: 26-25 Oakesdale at halftime.
In the third quarter, the Nighthawks opened a 38-30 lead, Matt Hockett hitting shots, Kit Hockett drawing a key offensive charge.
Then Henning, again, the sophomore guard, this time floating across the lane, turning for a four-footer and 10-point Oakesdale lead.
Gar/Pal got back in it, Ethan Hawkins from 8-feet, on the baseline, cutting the lead to four at the end of the third quarter.
In the fourth, the Vikings' Jacob Anderson found Dugger underneath and he scored with a foul. Dugger made the free throw to cut the Oakesdale lead to a point.
Gar/Pal then scored again to re-take the lead, 41-40.
Matt Hockett passed to Kit Hockett and Blake Jones tipped it, tipped it, tipped it and finally took the steal. At the other end of the floor, Kit Hockett slipped his hands over an Austin Jones pass like a magician, taking it back, still 41-40 Gar/Pal.
"Plays like that, in a close rivalry game, are huge," said Oakesdale Coach Carl Crider. "You can't spend any time hanging your head."
After timeout Vikings, Dugger hit from the top of the key, Gar/Pal back up by four. Then Oakesdale's Tyler Bober drove for a score and a foul. The lead down to two.
A loose ball foul sent Matt Hockett to the free throw line in the one-and-one.
He made both, tying the game 44-44.
Nearing a minute remaining, Gar/Pal took the ball up the floor and threw it inside. Matt Hockett deflected the pass – the ball glancing off the bottom of the backboard out of bounds.
Vikings' ball and soon Blake Jones was fouled on a shot and went to the line for two free throws.
Neither dropped in, still 44-44.
After another timeout Gar/Pal, the Vikings whipped the ball in to Anderson right at the basket. His shot missed, still tied, under 40 seconds, and Oakesdale got the rebound, took the ball up the floor and worked it around the perimeter. Gavin Shrope emerged for a ball screen and Matt Hockett hit the 19-footer for the final score.
"It was kind of a knock-down, drag-out game," said Coach Crider.
Hockett led Oakesdale with 15 points while Henning scored eight and Simon Anderson seven. Kit Hockett had five points and 12 rebounds. Dugger and Anderson led the Vikings with 10 points each while Blake Jones and Hawkins each got eight.
Gar/Pal had no set plan on their last possession.
"We we're gonna go on instinct," said Coach Swinney, who was yelling to penetrate, lost in the din.
Nonetheless, he was satisfied with the shot they had.
"I thought Blake made a good pass. I got faith in Dawson to knock that shot down," said Swinney. "I enjoy kids with the courage to take that shot at that time."
Oakesdale shot 44 percent from the field for the game while Gar/Pal was 27 percent.
"In my mind, that's remarkable we were in the game," said Swinney.
His team turned the ball over only seven times.
"Everything was important," Swinney said. "We had our opportunities, I felt. We didn't get the job done, and credit to them, they did."
Oakesdale's Crider saw the game get much closer than he wanted at the end.
"When we got the 10-point lead, it was let's extend this thing out," he said. "It's hard to put Gar/Pal away."
What was the plan on the last Oakesdale possession?
"Use the clock, keep the ball moving and make a good basketball play," Crider said.
How about Kit Hockett's off the back-hip bounce passes?
"He seems to come up with new things every day," Crider said. "Sometimes it's things you don't want him to come up with."
Overall, Oakesdale is back in control of their own fate in league.
"It's a relief to win this," Crider said. "We talked about, let's figure out a way to win (league), let's keep it in our hands, and not have to ask for help from other people."
If things go as expected, Oakesdale and Garfield/Palouse could play for the league title Feb. 8 at Palouse. The Vikings have already beaten Prescott twice, while Oakesdale lost to them on the road. Oakesdale will play Prescott at home Saturday. Game time is 5:30 p.m.
St. John/Endicott/ LaCrosse 60
Touchet 55
SJEL played a makeup game Tuesday night from a snow-out Jan. 17 and led the entire game, picking up another league win, to put their record at 3-4.
"This was closer than it should've been," said Eagles Coach Mike Stubbs. "They made it interesting. We played well enough to win."
Owen Swannack led St. John/Endicott/LaCrosse with 22 points while Ty Harder scored 18.
Alexis Gonzalez led Touchet (0-11, 0-7) with 23 points in the loss.
SJEL led 16-3 right off, then kept a 10-12 point lead much of the way.
The Eagles will play Mary Walker of Springdale at home Friday for a non-league contest before a matchup with Gar/Pal Saturday, also at home. Tip-off is 5:30 p.m.
What is SJEL's overall record now?
"Not enough and too many," said Stubbs.
The Eagles are 3-9.
Oakesdale 58
Touchet 28
Oakesdale played at Touchet Saturday, Jan. 18, winning 58-28. Simon Anderson led with 19 points and Tyler Bober got eight rebounds.
Oakesdale (12-3 overall) plays at Pomeroy (3-11, 3-4) Friday followed by a home re-match with Prescott, who beat them Jan. 4.
"If we look past this one, it's our fault," said Coach Crider.
Garfield/Palouse 61
Prescott 41
The Vikings beat Prescott for the second time this year Jan. 18 at Palouse.
Blake Jones scored 21 points while Austin Jones had 16 and Ethan Hawkins 14 points and seven rebounds. Jacob Anderson added 10 points as Gar/Pal pushed their record to 9-5 overall, 6-1 league.
Victor Garcia led Prescott with 18 points in the loss.
Prescott 65
Colton 51
At Prescott Jan. 17, Colton's Chris Wolf scored 22 points and Kian Ankerson 14 as the Wildcats dropped to 1-11 overall, 1-5 in league.
Jonathan Cardenas scored 19 points to lead Prescott, which holds third in the Southeast 1B.
St. John/Endicott/ LaCrosse 49
Pomeroy 42
Playing their one home game of the year in LaCrosse Jan. 18, the Eagles beat Pomeroy to avenge a December loss on the road.
"It was a battle. Through tenacious defense and good teamwork, we were able to come out with this win," said Stubbs.
Ty Harder led with 24 points on the night while Owen Swannack scored 12.
Pomeroy had two players foul out, SJEL had one foul out and at the end, multiple players from each team had four fouls.
Evan Bartels scored 15 points to lead Pomeroy while Byron Stallcop had 14 points and 16 rebounds.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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