Phoenix spoils I.V.’s playoff hopes
From our weekly issue dated February 18, 2009
Cougar Ben Kendall (center), a junior, fires a pass to senior Cory Glasgow. (Photo by Ashley Webb for Illinois Valley News)
Cougar Roger Hults’ excellent shooting performance and a team-high 21 points were overshadowed by the Phoenix High School freshman Alex Young and his game-high 26 points on Tuesday, Feb. 10.
Young scored the first field goal of the game for Phoenix (8-10, 6-3) at Illinois Valley High School’s Ken Mann Memorial Gym in Cave Junction.
R. Hults was fouled on his first attempt and hit one of two. Young scored again. R. Hults then hit a 3-pointer to tie the game 4-4 at the 5:36 minute mark of the first quarter. Pirate Skylar Reagan contributed 2, and Antonio Escalante’s baseline drive, one-hand swish tied the game again, 6-6.
Andrew Augustadt’s perfect inbound pass under I.V.’s basket to Kevin Snook, who caught, shot and scored in mid-air, brought the Cougars within 2. R. Hults bounced a pass to his younger brother Fred Hults, and he gently banked it in.
F. Hults then paid it forward with a nice inside pass to Nathan Heath, who scored. Heath returned the favor to F. Hults for a non net-moving 3-pointer to end the first quarter with the Cougars leading, 15-14. It seemed that Phoenix’s Young and Reagan answered every time the Cougars scored.
In Phoenix’s first possession of the second quarter, Snook blocked a shot inside, however he was called with an all-ball foul. Reagan hit both. R. Hults then passed to Snook who crossed over the defender and went to the hole, off the glass and in, to bring the Cougars back to within 2.
R. Hults was fouled in the act, went to the line and made one of two. Young then hit a 3-pointer. But R. Hults, not to be outdone, hit a 3-pointer and a 20-footer to help the Cougars regain the lead, 25-24. R. Hults dialed in from long range to increase the lead by 3.
The Cougar defense took over the final seconds of the quarter, when R. Hults got down and dirty on the floor, in a scramble to get a jump ball. Possession went to the Cougars. Snook blocked the next shot and then knocked the ball out of bounds on the Pirate rebound to end the first half, Illinois Valley 28, Phoenix 26.
The second half was all Young vs. the Cougars. There were a series of outstanding plays by the Cougar squad to counter Young’s unstoppable scoring.
R. Hults started the Cougar scoring with a bank shot from the wing to take a 30-27 lead. A monster block by Snook was followed by an assist by R. Hults on an out-of-bounds save to Augustadt, who drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key. R. Hults was fouled hard and made both free throws, to make I.V.’s lead 35-29 with 4:22 to go in the third.
Then the Cougars showed team work when the ball was passed from Augustadt to Snook to R. Hults to F. Hults to Nathaniel Heath, who finished the play with 2, adding to F. Hults’ 2-pointer and Augustadt’s one-hander in the lane.
R. Hults drove the lane for 2 and hit a free throw. Team ball ended the third quarter for the Cougars with them working the ball around ‘til they found an open Heath with a lob to end the quarter in I.V.s’ favor, 47-45. Again, Young and Reagan provided the offense for the Pirates.
Young started the scoring in the fourth to tie the game, but of course R. Hults had something to say with 2 of his own to take the lead to 49-47. Then Snook had a couple of blocks, the first of which was a top 10 play: Not only did Snook block the shot by pinning the ball against the glass, he got the rebound.
Young then hit another 3-pointer and R. Hults a 2 to bring the score to Pirates 52- Cougars 51. Young scored twice to bring the score to 56-51 in the Pirates’ favor.
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The game came down to fouls. The Cougars had to foul to protect the clock, and it worked three times as the Pirates’ only made 1 of 6 at the line. The Pirates applied the same strategy, but it backfired, as Snook and F. Hults hit all four attempts. The tide turned the next time the Cougars fouled Young, and he made one of two.
With Phoenix on top 57-55 with 5 seconds left, the Cougars missed a desperation 3-pointer to win the game. To add more drama, Augustadt grabbed the rebound on the miss, but was fouled with seconds left to play.
With all the pressure in the world even a pro would feel; Augustadt missed the first. He then had to try and bounce the ball off the rim, hoping a teammate would get the rebound. Snook tried valiantly, but came up inches short as the Pirates got the board to end the Cougars play-off hopes. From start to finish the Cougars never gave up, but missed seven free throws during the game to seal their fate.
R. Hults finished with 21 points, eight rebounds and made three 3-pointers. Snook again barely missed his second triple-double of the season and ended with 9 points, 12 rebounds and 10 blocks. F. Hults added 12 points; Augustadt had 8 points, four rebounds.
Young had 26 points and five assists, two rebounds, and four 3-pointers. Reagan had 16 for the Pirates.
The Cougars are now (8-10) overall and (3-6) in Skyline Conference with three games to play.
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