Warriors’ day comes, top Cavs for first Coos Bay win, 59-57
COOS BAY – The curse finally lifted. With last Friday's 59-57 consolation victory over Blanchet Catholic, Amity's boys' basketball team exorcised their Coos Bay demons. By notching a win in the final rounds of the state playoffs, they broke a three-year stretch in which the Warriors bowed out of postseason play with an 0-2 record.
Amity was very much in danger of continuing that dismal trend as the Cavaliers fought tooth-and-nail for the result. Blanchet Catholic, the sixth seed, devised a game plan predicated on getting into the paint for easy lay-ins or drawing fouls. It nearly worked. The Warriors gave up 19 free throw attempts in the first half alone (27 for the game) and allowed the Cavs to bully their way to second and third quarter advantages.
In the first, the second-seeded Warriors aimed to put aside their poor playoff history, racing to an 8-2 lead in the first three minutes. Devin McShane's hanging reverse lay-up forced Blanchet Catholic to call timeout and regroup.
On the strength of RJ Veliz's foul shooting, the Cavaliers retaliated to make it a 14-12 Amity lead after one quarter of play.
Kodiak Yaeger helped initiate the Warrior offense in the second. He knocked down's Amity's first two buckets of the period, both silky smooth jumpers, and the last, handing the designated home team an 18-14 edge.
However, with the Warriors in the penalty, the Cavaliers drove hard to the rack, earning trips to the charity stripe. Ryan Stebner's two foul shots captured Blanchet Catholic's first lead of the day at 20-18 and 3:46 remaining.
Amity restored its advantage when Brandon Wilson swished a corner three with 3:22 left, but the Cavs ended the quarter with an 8-2 run, punctuated by Mike Bashaw's buzzer-beating half court heave, to go up 28-23 at the half.
Progressivley, Amity eroded the deficit in the third. Dylan Stearns found the mark on a corner trey, Clint Hatch flipped in a short shot, McShane wowed the crowd with a steal and score to tie the game at 37 with 1:20 remaining.
After Bashaw converted 1-3 foul attempts, the Cavaliers entered the final quarter with a skinny 38-37 lead.
The Warriors swiftly seized command in the fourth as Yaeger's long-distance laser scorched the net, and Amity grabbed a 40-38 edge. His outside make proved the final lead change of the night as the blue-and-white wouldn't relinquish control for the remaining seven minutes.
Amity built up an eight-point lead with 4:33 left as Stearns stepped into a midrange jumper. The Cavaliers called timeout to mount a comeback. An 11-4 Blanchet Catholic stretch brought home anxiety for the Amity fans as the Warrior lead was diminished to one at 51-50 with 2:13 on the clock.
Stearns proved clutch over the final moments, however, sinking five free throws to keep the Cavs at bay. Bashaw made events interesting with a three-pointer with five ticks left, but McShane hit a foul shot and Veliz's potentially game-tying lay-up at the buzzer rattled out.
Stearns, named player of the game with 20 points, also added four rebounds, three assists and a steal in 29 minutes. McShane joined him in double-figures with 14 points on 7-10 foul shooting, while chipping in five boards and five assists. Hatch scored nine points and collected a team-high seven rebounds.
Bashaw and Veliz proved dangerous for the Cavaliers, as both scored over 20 points. Bashaw, player of the game for Blanchet Catholic, produced a game-high 25, and Veliz 22.
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