By Jeremy McDonald

jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com

SALEM, Ore.–  The game came down to who can make the final big play before the buzzer sounded.

Throughout the 32 minutes, the McKay and Grants Pass Boys Basketball teams couldn’t build a lead greater than a two-possession lead on the other.

Down three late, the Royal Scots made that final big play.

Behind a drive to the hoop by Darrell Woods, McKay found a spark to get over the hump for their second win of the season from free throws, 65-61.

“I kind of thought it was over,” said Woods on the hoop and the ensuring free throw.  “I thought we had the momentum.  Just the intensity after that, we knew we could beat them just after that lay-up.”

It was 62-61 after the lay-up, but Woods couldn’t convert on the ‘And-one’ as the Scots quickly got back to defense.

After a steal, the Caveman fouled Isarel Garza and sent him to the line with 22.9 seconds left in the game.

Garza described his thoughts on the line.

“I was nervous, a lot,” described Garza.  “I knew if I knocked them down, it will help our team a lot.”

He did.  Both of them to give McKay the 64-61 lead with 18.4 seconds as the Scots turned another steal as Demeris Bailey hit one last free throw to seal the victory.

“It was tough, every game has been close.,” said Garza on the win.  “We just had to do what we needed to do.  Defensively we got a couple of stops and that was it.”

McKay Head Coach Dean Sanderson, relieved when the final whistle blew after a scrappy game, was pleased to get out of there with the win.

“When you’re struggling (and) you’re 1-5, you got to find a way to win,” said Sanderson.  “I don’t care who you’re playing.  At the end, we overcame some really bad mistakes and found a way to win and that’s what we needed to do tonight.”

For the first three quarters, it was back-and-forth.

Behind Grants Pass’ 6’4 Post Tayler Phillips, the Caveman had a 18-16 lead after one but down by 30-28 at halftime despite 16 first half points.  Phillips had 24 in the game.

Despite an offensive charge led by Khlyer Beach, fouls caught up to the Scots as they found themselves down four, the momentum was against them and an injury on Noah Tavera had GP up by four entering the fourth quarter.

 

Sanderson described the struggles in the half-court defense and it starts with him at the coaching level.

“For three quarters of the game, and we got to get better, that’s a coaching thing,” he said.  “We’ll get better at that in practice.  Our intensity on the defensive end has to carry over all-time or we’ll be in trouble.

“Against a better team and we don’t have that, and we miss 18 free throws, we’re in trouble.”

But, Sanderson and his McKay Men picked up the intensity as they enter the fourth before a 6-2 Caveman run set up the late push by the Scots.

“Towards that fourth quarter, the guys battled,” said Woods.  “I knew we could beat them by more but I don’t know, at the end with the lay-up I knew we had them.”

SCORE                1       2      3     4    –T

CAVEMAN        18       10    20    13  — 61

SCOTS                16      14     14     21  — 65

PHOTO GALLERY (PICTURE BY JEREMY MCDONALD)

Jeremy McDonald is a professional sports journalist in the Salem/Portland area and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalist in Oregon with B.S. degrees from Southern Oregon University in Journalism (2011) and Health/PE (2013).  Got a story idea? Email him at jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com or on Twitter at @J_McDonald81!

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