Sandpoint Clips Viks In Two Ots

Jack Dyck most definitely will remind his Sandpoint High School boys basketball team that it blew a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter.

For a few days, though, he’ll cherish how resilient his young team was when it counted most as the Bulldogs survived two overtime periods to knock off Coeur d’Alene 81-79 in an Inland Empire League game Friday night at Bulldog Gym.

“It was a win, (but) it wasn’t particularly the way we would have liked to have done it,” Dyck said. “We had a nice lead there and when our big guys fouled out, we got hurt on the boards. But you know what? A win is a win, and at this point, that’s more important than anything else.”

Both teams entered the game 0-3 in league and co-tenants of the league basement.

And as important as the game was in terms of posting that first league victory, both teams appeared relatively emotionless through much of the first half.

But both teams made up for it in the fourth quarter and two overtime sessions.

At times, Sandpoint (6-10) looked exactly like it is - a team without a senior (three seniors have quit in the past two weeks). But junior Carson Jeffres played like a veteran with the game in the balance.

In the final 51 seconds, Jeffres made 3 of 4 free throws and a critical basket in the key. His final foul shot, with 28 seconds left, provided the winning margin.

Coeur d’Alene missed six free throws in the last 48 seconds after Ty Kovatch’s basket on an inside feed from Jesse Hoorelbeke gave the Vikings their final lead - 79-78 with 1:05 left.

“We did everything else right except free throws,” said CdA coach Larry Bieber, whose team lost its fourth straight and dropped to 6-9 overall. “The kids really gutted up, though, to come back in the second half. It didn’t look like we were going to do that in the third quarter.”

Leading 31-22 at halftime, Sandpoint came out in the third quarter and built as much as a 14-point lead. CdA trimmed it to 40-32 with 2:30 left in the quarter, but the Bulldogs took a 49-37 lead into the fourth period.

Baskets by Caleb Bowman and Brandon Eller extended Sandpoint’s lead to 15 at 53-38.

That’s when Sandpoint’s youth emerged, and the Vikings fought back. Still, Jeffres made two free throws to put the Bulldogs ahead 59-49 with 3:16 left in regulation.

The Viks’ Ben Davis completed a four-point play when he was fouled making a 3-pointer. Moments later, Erik Hermstad pulled CdA, which trailed the entire game, within 63-62 when he hit a 13-footer with 51 seconds left.

Hoorelbeke tied the score 64-64 with a putback with 16 seconds left. Sandpoint didn’t get off a final shot. CdA got its first lead in the first overtime at 66-64.

Sandpoint’s David Boren coolly sank two free throws with 9 seconds left to knot the score at 70, sending it to a second overtime.

Play was at a frenetic pace in the final overtime before Jeffres’ final-minute heroics. He finished with a game-high 24 points.

CdA’s Luke O’Dowd had a quiet 17 points.

Sandpoint secured the win at the foul line, making 27 of 43 shots to CdA’s 14-of-35 foul shooting.

Sandpoint 81, CdA 79 (2OT)

Coeur d’Alene 14 8 15 27 6 9 - 79

Sandpoint 15 16 18 15 6 11 - 81

COEUR D’ALENE Goodwin 0, J. Davis 2, Lowry 0, Corbeill 11, Lee 9, B. Davis 11, Hermstad 10, Kovatch 6, O’Dowd 17, Hoorelbeke 13.

SANDPOINT Jeffres 24, Bowman 8, Eller 8, Boren 4, Herrington 4, Palmer 14, Kleinert 8, Nieman 11.

, DataTimes