YAKIMA – The Lions jumped out to a 21-6 lead, but Columbia River finished the game incredibly strong and came back to defeat Lynden 41-38 in the consolation round of the 2A state tournament.
The Rapids began to catch fire in the second quarter when they went on a 8-2 run to cut Lynden’s lead back down to single digits, and the Lions led 25-16 at the half.
Columbia River began the third quarter on a 6-1 run which quickly prompted a timeout from Lynden as the score was cut to 26-22. The defense intensified in the third quarter, and the Rapids finished strong by hitting back-to-back three pointers which tied the game at 30-30 going into the final period.
The Rapids took their first lead of the game early in the fourth quarter by making a free throw following a technical foul.
A put back by senior forward Jack Stapleton gave the lead back to Lynden, 34-33, with three minutes left in the game. A jumper by Columbia River 30 seconds later shifted the lead back to the Rapids, but senior forward Brant Heppner answered with a straight-away 18-footer with two defenders in his face to give the Lions a 36-35 lead with two minutes left.
A pair of converted foul shots by Columbia River shifted the lead back to the Rapids. Lynden wasn’t able to re-capture the lead on its next possession, but forced a shot-clock violation on Columbia River’s following possession.
The Lions couldn’t convert on a deep ball with 45 seconds left, and the Rapids were fouled while bringing the ball up the court. Both foul shots were made once again, which gave Columbia River a three-point advantage with 35 seconds left in the contest.
Lynden passed the ball around, looking for an open three-point shot to tie the game up, but ultimately settled on a layup by Stapleton with eight seconds left, which was immediately followed by a Lynden timeout. The length of the Lions made it tough to inbound the ball, but the Rapids were eventually able to get the ball into play, and was quickly fouled.
Both free throws were made once again, and Lynden had one last chance with five seconds left in the game, but missed from the left elbow.
Heppner finished with 25 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Lions who ended their season with a record of 25-3.
Columbia River 41, Lynden 38 CR 6 10 14 11 - 41 LYN 15 10 5 8 - 38
Columbia River: N/A.
Lynden: Navarre 0, Bedlington 0, Price 0, Bowman 0, Koenen 0, Stapleton 8, Heppner 25, Jorgenson 3, Adams 2.
Leave a Reply