A last-second, desperation heave fell slightly off target as Ocosta dropped its 2B District 4 Tournament opening-round game 64-62 to Rainier on Saturday in Montesano.
After seeing a 14-point first-half lead evaporate, the Wildcats (8-9 overall) trailed for much of the second half before rallying late to tie the game on Garrison Barnum’s 3-pointer in the final minute.
But a layup by Rainier’s Josh Meldrum gave the Mountaineers (11-8) a 64-62 lead with just 2.3 seconds left in the game.
A Hail Mary attempt by Ocosta guard Josh Figueroa bounced off rim at the buzzer, sending the Wildcats into the elimination bracket.
The loss was a gut-punch for Ocosta, which held as much as a 14-point lead in the second quarter when Figueroa hit a three to put the Wildcats up 26-12 with just under six minutes left in the half.
RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Ocosta’s Josh Figueroa, top, chases a loose ball against Rainier’s Jimmy Meldrum during the Wildcats’ 64-62 loss in the first round of the 2B District 4 Tournament on Saturday at Montesano High School.
“We established our defense and were doing a good job of keeping the ball in front,” Ocosta head coach Jason Quinby said of the double-digit lead. “Offensively, we were kind of doing what we wanted to do, but basically our team starts with defense.”
But Ocosta wouldn’t score a single point over the next 4:42 seconds as Rainier cut the Wildcats’ lead to 26-24 after a 12-0 run.
A Figueroa drive and basket stopped the damage with just under a minute left in the half and a buzzer-beater by sophomore guard Kayden Turner put Ocosta up 32-26 at the break.
Rainier opened the third quarter with a 6-0 run to tie the game and took a 37-34 lead after an offensive rebound led to a Jake Meldrum three with 6:05 on the clock.
The Mountaineers would lead throughout most of the period until Ocosta took a 45-44 lead after a bucket by senior post Xander Prigmore followed by a Turner three with 21 seconds on the clock.
RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Ocosta’s Kayden Turner (14) attempts a pass while defended by Rainier’s Jake Meldrum during the Wildcats’ 64-62 loss in the first round of the 2B District 4 Tournament on Saturday at Montesano High School.
Jake Meldrum responded at the other end with a three of his own to give the Mountaineers a 47-45 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
In a similar fashion to the previous period, Rainier controlled much of the fourth quarter – leading by as much as seven points with just over three minutes to play – before Ocosta would rally late.
A Figueroa steal and layup followed by another Turner 3-pointer cut the deficit to 61-59.
Rainier’s Jarred Sprouffske made 1 of 2 free throws to extend the lead to 62-59 with 2:11 on the clock.
Several empty possessions followed and with time running out on the Wildcats, the ball was moved around the perimeter to Barnum, who buried a long three from the elbow in the face of an oncoming defender to tie the game at 62-all.
Josh Meldrum followed with a layup after a breakdown on the Ocosta defense, giving the Mountaineers a 64-62 lead with just 2.3 seconds left to play.
On the final play of the game, A long inbound pass across half-court was corralled by Figueroa, who had to grab the loose ball, turn and put up a long, desperation heave in one motion. The ball bounced off the backboard and then the front edge of the rim before hitting the floor and dashing Ocosta’s hopes of a first-round playoff win.
Quinby said defensive miscues led to the loss.
“We played crappy defense in the second and third quarters, for sure. I’m not sure if there is a better word for it than that,” Quinby said. “Our defense was atrocious. Guys were reaching, not moving their feet and making an effort to stay in front. That was pretty frustrating.”
Figueroa (13 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals), Turner (12 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds) and Prigmore (11 points, 3 rebounds, assist, steal) led Ocosta, which went 23 of 51 from the field (52.9%), including 10 of 24 (41.6%) from the 3-point line.
Rainier was led by Josh and Jake Meldrum with 23 and 19 points, respectively.
The Mountaineers were 22 of 52 as a team from the field (42.3%).
Ocosta committed 23 personal fouls in the contest, leading to 26 Rainier free throws, of which 14 were converted (53.8%).
The Wildcats also committed 26 turnovers in the second half, leading to the loss.
“Basically, we got to where we were only seeing the guy in front of us and not up the court,” Quinby said. “Our last possession on defense we broke down and let the guy get all the way to the bucket, which is what we talked about in the timeout. Our guys fought, but our lack of execution on offense and defense for most the the night was a killer for us.”
Ocosta will face the loser of the Wahkiakum-Ilwaco quarterfinal in an elimination game slotted for Friday at Rochester High School (time to be determined).
Rainier 10 16 21 17 — 64
Ocosta 13 19 13 17 — 62
Scoring: Rainier — Josh Meldrum 23, Jake Meldrum 19, Jimmy Meldrum 12, Owen 5, Sprouffske 4, Howell 1. Ocosta – Figueroa 13, Turner 12, X. Prigmore 11, Barnum 8, M. Lewis 8, T. Lewis 6, Agramon 4.
Adna 66, Raymond 47
Raymond fell behind early and never fully recovered in suffering a 66-47 first-round loss to Adna in a 2B District 4 Tournament game on Saturday in Montesano.
The Seagulls (10-11) trailed 23-8 after the first quarter and were in a 42-18 hole by halftime against the Pirates (16-6).
After the break, Raymond got points from five different players in the third quarter and outscored Adna 29-22 in the second half.
“(Adna) is pretty good for a five-seed, I’ll say that,” Raymond head coach Mike Tully said. “That was a tough draw for us and we knew it would be tough. … I was happy with the way our guys played in the second half. We showed some fight and some intensity. That seems to be our problem this year, we play that way for a half and it’s usually not enough, especially this time of year. You can’t go into a district game and only play a good half. You have to play a good game.”
Raymond was led by Skyler Hutson with 13 points and four rebounds.
Christopher Quintana added nine points for a Seagulls team that recorded 20 rebounds and 10 assists as a team.
The Seagulls will face the loser of the Toutle Lake-Chief Leschi quarterfinal game in an elimination matchup on Friday at Black Hills High School (time to be determined).
Tully said his team will have to have a full four quarters of effort if it hopes to keep its season alive.
“I told them we have to play four quarters of basketball this time of year, we can’t just play two,” he said. “Whoever we end up drawing is going to be a good team. We have four days of practice to get ready for it and we just have to do the best we can.”
Adna 23 19 10 12 – 66
Raymond 8 10 15 14 – 47
Scoring: Adna – Smith 17, Salme 15, Meister 13, Johnson 9, Guerrero 7, Neilson 2. Raymond – Hutson 13, Quintana 9, Gunderson 6, Anderson 6, Snodgrass 5, Yearout 4, Perez 2, Medeiros 2.
Others scores
2B District 4 Boys Basketball Tournament
Wahkiakum 71, Toledo 48
Toutle Lake 69, Forks 37
