Cda Bests Sandpoint In Four Overtimes Six Unanswered Points In Final Extra Period Give Viks Victory

The calendar says early December, but the play of the Coeur d’Alene and Sandpoint boys basketball teams Tuesday resembled mid-February form.

In a Border League game that got better as it got older, Coeur d’Alene held off Sandpoint 73-69 in quadruple overtime before a Viking Gym crowd estimated at 600 that got its money’s worth after regulation.

Both teams had numerous chances to win. So many, in fact, that there’s not enough space to detail each opportunity.

Suffice to say that the game probably shouldn’t have gone to extra periods - let alone the equivalent of half a game.

Trailing 69-67 in the fourth overtime, CdA scored six unanswered points in the final 1:03.

Jackson Wilkey made two free throws to tie it at 69-all; Matt Brown scored a layup on an assist from Wilkey off a Sandpoint turnover; and Aaron Bligh made 2 of 4 foul shots in a frenetic final 32 seconds as the Vikings prevailed.

It was CdA’s home and league opener after it lost both games in a non-league swing over the weekend in the Boise area.

Sandpoint (1-2 overall) was coming off a 76-62 conference-opening loss to Clarkston at home on Saturday.

Perhaps the key player from the end of regulation through the first three OTs was CdA point guard Jason Rupp.

Rupp, who scored just four points over the weekend, stepped up to the free-throw line in three tense moments at the end of regulation, the first OT and the second OT and made a pair of free throws.

Rupp made two foul shots with 5 seconds left in the first overtime to forge a 49-49 tie. And he made two more charity shots with 3 seconds left in the second OT to knot the score at 60.

It took a leaning 9-foot jumper by Sandpoint’s Greg Malone with :47 remaining in regulation to give the Bulldogs new life with the score 42-42 after four quarters.

CdA didn’t make a field goal in the fourth period, missing 11 shots. A pair of free throws from Rupp with 1:26 remaining gave the Viks their only points in the quarter.

The play in the overtimes overshadowed what had been a hard-fought game through the first 32 minutes.

Rupp led CdA with 23 points. Bulldog post Gerad Lopshire matched Rupp for game-high honors and Malone added a clutch 21.

CdA returns to league action Thursday when it plays host to Lewiston while Sandpoint plays host to Colville on Friday.

CdA 73, Sandpoint 69

Sandpoint 11 12 12 7 7 11 7 3 - 69

Coeur d’Alene 14 14 12 2 7 11 7 6- 73

Sandpoint (1-2, 0-2) - Dyck 1 2-4 4, Mire 4 3-4 12, DaVault 0 0-2 0, Oliver 0 0-1 0, Malone 6 8-10 21, Zentner 1 0-0 3, Lopshire 10 3-4 23, Aumick 0 6-12 6. Totals 22 22-37 69.

Coeur d’Alene (1-2, 1-0) - Bligh 5 3-6 15, Simon 2 2-2 8, Brown 2 0-0 5, Rupp 7 6-6 23, Paulson 1 1-5 3, Rogers 0 0-0 0, Wilkey 1 5-5 7, Sather 1 2-2 4, Viek 1 0-0 2, Wolfe 3 0-4 6. Totals 23 19-30 73.

3-point goals-Mire, Malone, Bligh 2, Simon 2, Brown, Rupp 3. Total fouls-Sandpoint 23, Coeur d’Alene 23. Fouled out- Lopshire, Oliver, Wolfe, Sather. Technicals-Rogers.