Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Last minute effort pays off during two games
Austin Jones, in his last game as a Garfield-Palouse four-year starter, shoots the first of two free throws with three seconds left on May 27.
ST. JOHN — Garfield-Palouse guard Austin Jones did not come out of the game against St. John-Endicott-LaCrosse early for a senior night tribute.
He was needed on the floor to the end. Off a missed Vikings free throw, Jones, from the opposite corner of half-court, chased down the rebound, got fouled and went to the free-throw line with three seconds left. He made both to put Garfield-Palouse up 53-50.
A last heave from St. John-Endicott-LaCrosse missed and the Vikings won.
“Intelligent a player as he is athletic, Austin Jones was on his horse and got that rebound,” said Eagles Coach Mike Stubbs.
The seven-man Vikings roster had a key, late offensive rebound by freshman guard Liam Orfe and a score from junior forward Cameron Merrill.
Merrill finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds while Jaxson Orr added 16 points and Jones 11.
The Vikings (7-1) completed an eight-game schedule in 16 days, including one home game.
“I’m really proud of our kids. (This group) never played together before,” said Garfield-Palouse Coach Steve Swinney. “You could see them grow from the first game to the eighth game.”
Jones got a similar half-court rebound to seal a win over Pomeroy.
“It was a carbon copy,” said Swinney. “The kid just refuses to lose.”
For St. John-Endicott-LaCrosse, on senior night, the Eagles stayed close against the Vikings before veterans Kameron Greenhalgh, Ty Harder and Jaden Danielson worked to tie the game in the last four minutes. Greenhalgh, the Eagles’ senior center, led with 22 points in the loss. Danielson, another senior, scored 13.
The Eagles finished a five-game schedule in 10 days at 3-2.
Earlier in the week, Garfield-Palouse beat Wilbur-Creston 66-40 as Jones scored 30 points and added 10 assists. Merrill had 12 points with 10 rebounds. Orr scored 11.
The team got home on the bus at 1 a.m. and went to St. John that afternoon.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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