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The Reedley Pirates
won their first league championship in 20 years with a thrilling
overtime 74-72 victory over the Sunnyside Wildcats. In
claiming the NYL crown the Pirates concluded the regular season
with a record of 21-3. The Pirates ended the NYL season with a
9-1 mark, one game ahead of the second place Wildcats.
The battle for the
NYL title took place before a capacity crowd in the noisy Reedley
gym. The Pirates bolted out of the starting gate thanks to
five quick points from Jon Wallen. But coach Mark Beebe's
Wildcats quickly proved their mettle, maintaining their composure
and claiming a 19-15 lead after the first quarter.
After allowing
several successful drives to the hoop in the initial eight minutes,
the Pirates toughened their defense in the second quarter,
limiting the 'Cats to nine points, while scoring 14 themselves.
At the half the Pirates were in front by a narrow 29-28 margin.
Wallen had 15 at the half, including three netrippers from
behind the arc.
In the third quarter
Minami's squad lengthened their lead to 47-41. Colin Hofer
finished the quarter with a flourish, scoring five points in the
final 1:40.
But the Wildcats were
not to be denied. The 'Cats began the final quarter with a
dunk by Sophoeun Oeun. The Sunnyside five parlayed their
supporters enthusiasm into a strong last quarter run which netted
them a 60-56 lead with 1:56 remaining. The Pirates were in
trouble as they surrounded coach Minami during a critical time out.
The Pirates returned
to the floor determined to make a last run. Jon Wallen's two
free throws cut the lead in half. With under a minute to go
the Wildcats had the ball facing the Pirates' press. The
defensive pressure worked, producing a steal and a lay-up by Wallen.
The game was tied at 60 with 45 seconds left. Both teams had
opportunities in the final seconds but the game was still tied at 60
when time expired.
In the overtime
period another Pirate steal produced a lay-up by Wallen to open
extra time. The Wildcats' Showron Glover answered with two
free throws to tie the game. Hofer's turnaround jumper pushed
the Pirates in front by two, but the 'Cats answered with a basket by
Oeun with 1:38 left on the clock. The Pirates immediately
answered as Hofer scored again on a strong drive to the hoop, giving
the Pirates a 66-64 advantage with 1:22 remaining.
After a Sunnyside
miss the Pirates dribbled down the court, moved the ball around, and
Wallen found Abel Lucca standing all alone in the right corner.
Lucca, a three point shooter deluxe, had not made a three all night.
But Lucca did not hesitate and the his shot hit nothing
but the bottom of the net. The PIrates were ahead 69-64 with
only 47 seconds remaining.
In the Wildcats next
possession Glover was fouled and made two more free throws. Then Wallen
answered with two of his own, leaving the green and white with a
71-66 lead with 26.5 seconds remaining. The lead look
reasonably secure but the talented Oeun drilled yet another long
three with a hand in his face, cutting the margin to 71-69 with 15
ticks left.
Wallen was
immediately fouled and strode to the line to shoot two shots from
the charity stripe. He made the first but missed the second.
The ball caromed off the rim and Hofer, leaping high, tipped the
ball out to the waiting Wallen. Wallen was quickly fouled and
made two more free throws to make the margin 74-69. Oeun's
ceremonial three at the buzzer produced the final 74-72 margin.
After the game the
Pirate student body surrounded the jubilant NYL champs.
Pictures were taken, hugs were shared all around, the net was
snipped by players and coaches, and everyone relished the sweet and
satisfying taste of hard work so wonderfully rewarded.
After the game a
satisfied coach Minami slumped happily on his front row bench seat.
His shirt untucked, his hair speckled with confetti, the Reedley
basketball headmaster deadpanned, "this one goes out to Kevin
Price and all the supporters in the Northwest."
The Pirates received
a game for the ages from Wallen. The senior scored 35 in a
superb all-around performance. Lucca and Hofer both tallied
11, Lepp contributed 9, Pepijn Dekker battled all night underneath
the boards and added 6, and Jordan Penner scored 2 to round out the
Pirates' scoring. With the regular season now history, the
Pirates look forward to the Valley playoffs which begin next week.
The preliminary
contests were no less exciting. The Reedley junior varsity
team lost a heartbreaker 36-34 while the Reedley frosh won another
nailbiter, 45-44.
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