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By Stephen Buus (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Friday’s Class 2 District 10 championship game in Morrisville had everything a basketball fan could ask for: two evenly matched teams going back and forth, putting everything on the line, making big play after big play including a nearly impossible buzzer-beater to tie at the end of regulation. But in the end, the Spokane Owls had just a little bit more in defeating the Skyline Tigers 86-81 in overtime.
Skyline (18-9) held a 10-point lead at the half only to see it evaporate as Spokane (17-10) put together a 20-8 third-quarter run. The Owls took their first lead of the game at 44-42 on a three-pointer by freshman Jackson Bray with 1:30 to go in the period. Skyline sophomore Dax Beem hit two free throws with 6.5 seconds left to tie the game at 47-47, only to see Spokane senior Chase Horton lay one in at the horn
The fourth quarter by itself was an absolute classic. The Owls kept the advantage most of the way, but the Tigers wouldn’t quit. A steal and a basket by sophomore Chris Logan pulled Skyline to within 63-60 with 2:14 to play. With 32 seconds left, Logan canned a trey to make it 68-67, Spokane. After the Owls scored on the next play, Been was fouled behind the arc and calmly canned all three free throws to tie it at 70.
Sixteen seconds remained. Horton dribbled down the left side and hit what most fans were sure was the game-winning layup with 1.7 seconds left. But Skyline coach Tommy Egan immediately called time out.
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With shades of the legendary Duke-Kentucky game in the 1994 NCAA Tournament in mind, Mason Lile played Grant Hill to Brant Gideon’s Christian Laettner, as Lile completed a three-quarter court pass to Gideon leading to an off-balance elbow jumper at the horn that sent the game to overtime as fans from both teams roared in disbelief.
“First of all, great pass by Mason Lile,” Egan said. “He delivered it on the money, and I thought Brant could go in for a layup, he was wide open. He didn’t realize how much time he had. But he’s a kid that’s shot and shot and shot in his off time, and he can make all kinds of shots. He made a huge shot.”
Skyline drew first blood in the extra session on a Logan trey, only to be answered by a three from Isaiah Bean, who led all scorers with 28 points. From there the Owls hit their free throws to eke out a five-point win.
Jack Rigdon added 23 points for Spokane while Horton had 15. Beem and Gideon scored 24 apiece for Skyline with Logan adding 19.
“It’s one of the best games I’ve ever been a part of,” said winning coach Kyle Johnson. “We’re very fortunate tonight. I feel like we beat a very good team. My guys never quit battling. We talked defensively that we had to get stops, we had to apply pressure and they never quit.
Spokane draws Crocker in the sectional round on Wednesday in Lebanon.
“It’s huge for our program,” said Johnson. “It’s been a long time and it’s been some trying times at our school, and we’re proud now. We’re starting to turn things around in the right direction.”
Skyline 18 21 8 25 9—81
Spokane 14 15 20 23 14—86
Skyline: Brant Gideon 24, Dax Beem 24, Chris Logan 19, Gage Gunter 7, Mason Lile 7.
Spokane: Isaiah Bean 28, Jack Rigdon 23, Chase Horton 15, Jackson Bray 10, Zayne Gale 7, Daniel Newell 3.
