Oakesdale outlasts Concordia Christian
February 28, 2019
It started tight and loud.
Concordia Christian led 13-11 at the end of the first quarter after Matt Hockett got the ball stolen from him, stole it back and drew a foul.
On Saturday night, Feb. 23, in Spokane Valley, Oakesdale and the Tacoma academy were to decide the last 1B slot to state.
Nighthawks' center Kieron Anderson tied the game with an inside move and scored with three defenders on him.
Then Concordia's Kyle Wells answered with a three-pointer to put them back up three, 16-13.
Evan Henning, another Oakesdale senior, stole a pass and took the ball down the floor and scored.
But the Nighthawks were missing from outside.
Down a point at 18-17, Henning threw to Wesley Castanon for a fast break lay-up and he missed it.
Nearing halftime, Oakesdale down two, they worked the ball under 30 seconds, Matt Hockett shot a six-footer, got it, tied 19-19.
After a Concordia miss, Oakesdale had the ball for one more possession; four seconds and Henning shot a half-courter with 1.5 and the half ended at the buzzer, the backboard lit red and Concordia's Sven Johnson sliding across the endline – as Castanon tried to recover his balance to help him up.
It was still 19-19 at halftime.
In the third quarter, Oakesdale's four seniors and a junior starting five – a team whose season ended in upset last year in the district playoffs – had two more quarters to win this and get to state.
The Tacoma academy had nine seniors on the roster themselves.
Castanon caught a pass and shot, a three-pointer for 22-21 Oakesdale. On the next possession, Castanon shot again, from the same spot, 25-21 Oakesdale.
At the other end of the floor, Henning busted out with a loose ball-rebound and pushed it up the floor, looked left, looked right and threaded a pass to Kieron Anderson for two, 27-21, timeout Concordia.
Afterwards, Oakesdale continued to rifle passes around the key. Anderson shot from eight feet, no, but scored the next time off a Castanon assist. Oakesdale still up by four.
Henning again bolted away from Tacoma rebounders with a ball on a fast break, this time bounced it to Castanon for 31-25 at 2:21 left in the third.
Simon Anderson, a sophomore guard, came into the game and hit a three-pointer to keep Oakesdale up by six.
Then Concordia forward Adam Bailey answered to cut it to three.
Contentiousness continued, the Oakesdale fans clashing with Concordia's cheerleaders. Whose turn was it to cheer? There were no turns.
Nearing the fourth quarter, Henning flipped a ball to Kieron Anderson inside who faked, banked-in a one-footer with a foul, 36-31 Oakesdale, then 37-31 with the free throw.
Back on defense, Castanon and Anderson denied Concordia guard Daniel Perry's shot. Oakesdale had the ball for the last possession of the quarter.
They worked it around again and Hockett shot with two seconds left and was fouled.
The junior guard made one of two from the line for 38-31 at the end of the third.
His brother, Kit Hockett, a sophomore off the bench, opened the fourth quarter with an Oakesdale score underneath against Bailey and another defender.
Kieron Anderson then banged against Bailey and drove across the key, switched hands with the ball, leapt, took it into one hand and over the back of his head, off the glass and in.
Oakesdale was up 11, 42-31.
Concordia had to make a push.
Bailey hit from three, then stole the ball from Matt Hockett, Oakesdale's lead down to six.
Time out Nighthawks.
Under five minutes to go and Hockett, ever-patient, bounced a pass into Kieron Anderson for 44-36.
Then, during a timeout, Henning's calf cramped.
He soon laid on his back behind the bench, his leg worked on by a West Valley trainer.
A steal by Kit Hockett, Oakesdale ball and three passes later an assist from Kit to Anderson inside. Oakesdale fans vs. their cheerleaders continued. The Nighthawks still led by seven with under a minute left.
Concordia answered and cut the lead to back to five with 51 seconds.
Henning went back in the game, Oakesdale ball and Anderson caught a pass at the basket, faked – holding the ball a beat to ensure contact – and the defender, Daniel Perry, went over Anderson's shoulders and crashed to the floor. A whistle and foul, but not on the shot.
Perhaps Anderson paused so long he hadn't quite made a shooting motion?
It was still a five-point game with 43 seconds left.
Then Matt Hockett went to the line and made one free throw, a six-point game.
Concordia missed on their answer and Henning, listed at 5'10", came down with another rebound and was fouled.
Under 30 seconds remaining, he made two shots to keep Oakesdale up by eight.
The clock dwindled, Concordia had to foul and the Nighthawks held on for a final score 51-41.
Kieron Anderson, working almost exclusively in the key all night, led with a game-high 23 points on 10-for-14 shooting from the field. Matt Hockett scored eight and Castanon 11, including the two shots early in the third quarter that helped turn the game for Oakesdale.
"Wesley's probably the guy on the team with a real shooter's mentality," said coach Carl Crider. "With the belief that every time he puts it up it's going in."
Reader Comments(0)