Brewery boys score a 72-71 shocker
Nelson’s last-second 3-pointer ousts champs
Any basketball tournament worth its salt at "March
Madness" time has to have a Cinderella team.
The 2000 Croy St. Exchange Men’s Basketball League tournament has a
Cinderella in the youthful Sun Valley Brewery/Croy Street squad.
Third-seeded Sun Valley Brewery (12-4), raining 3-pointers, has knocked
off the top two seeds in the six-team Upper Division tournament.
Sunday in Hailey, Matt Nelson drilled a 3-pointer with one second on the
clock giving Sun Valley Brewery a stunning 72-71 comeback victory that ousted five-time
defending champ Casino/Lefty’s (10-4).
In one of the better games of the two-month season, the Brew Boys (11
3-pointers) erased an 8-point deficit with three minutes left and avenged a 4-point loss
to Casino/Lefty’s earlier in the double elimination tournament.
Last week Sun Valley Brewery drilled 13 3-pointers and eliminated
regular-season league champi Jivaro Headhunters 65-46. Justin Herald (21 points) led the
way with five 3-pointers, Nelson (14) added four and Brandon Hollenbeck had 10 points.
The shocking outcomes put Sun Valley Brewery in Tuesday night’s Upper
Division championship game against fourth-seeded Sutton & Sons (11-3). Last April,
Casino/Lefty’s downed Sutton & Sons 68-56 in the league finale.
And the Brew Boys needed to beat Sutton & Sons twice in order to
capture the league tournament title. If SV Brewery won Tuesday, the deciding game is
tonight at 7 p.m. at Wood River Middle School.
Sutton & Sons made the title game with a 43-39 win over
Casino/Lefty’s. Lars Hovey scored 13 points including three 3-pointers and Ross
Sutton added 10 points for Sutton. For Lefty’s, Rich Payne had 11, Mike Payne 9 and
Rusty Seeward 8.
In the Lower Division, Anderson Asphalt (7-8) clashed with Hackshop.com
(8-7) for the championship Tuesday night at Wood River Middle School gym in Hailey.
Hackshop.com forced the decider with a 48-43 win over Anderson Asphalt Sunday.
Highlights, other games
Sunday’s SV Brewery-Lefty’s contest was close with five ties and
seven lead changes in the 25-minute first half. Lefty’s led 35-33 at halftime then,
guided by 10 points from its perennial MVP Mike Payne, went on an 18-10 run for a 10-point
lead.
A putback by Rich Payne (18 points) gave Lefty’s a 66-58 cushion with
4:13 remaining. That’s when SV Brewery’s young wheels accelerated.
Craig Anderson fed big Sean Johnson (a team-high 19 points) for a fast
break hoop. SV Brewery trapped on defense. Anderson (13 points) made the steal and
converted a transition hoop, then Nelson (15 points) drilled a 3-pointer cutting the
Lefty’s lead to 67-65 with 1:42 on the clock.
A Mike Payne-to-Rich Payne fast break hoop made it 69-65 Lefty’s.
Brew Boy Shane Bell (7 second-half points) made a clutch basket, and Rob Prosek sank a
hanging 13-footer after a huge Sean Johnson board for a 69-69 deadlock at 0:30.
Lefty’s looked like winners when Scott Seeward (14 of 19 points in
the second half) calmly made two charities with 15 seconds left for a 71-69 Lefty’s
lead. Then, SV Brewery almost threw the ball out-of-bounds—but Prosek saved it and
Nelson chased it down in the backcourt.
Nelson quickly brought it up and launched a 3-point jump shot attempt at
the top of the key. It swished home with one second remaining—the 24th Brewery
3-pointer in just two games.
For SV Brewery, Hollenbeck added 8 points, Bell 7, Prosek 7 and Herald 3.
Mike Payne topped Lefty’s with 19 including five 3-pointers, Rusty Seeward chipped in
5 points, Gene Laumenede 5 and Dave Penn 5.
In earlier loser bracket games: Jivaro Headhunters (12-2) got past
Sawtooth Paint (6-7) 68-43 behind Warren Gravely’s 24 points; and SV Brewery nipped
Practical/Hitchrack (8-5) 49-44 as Nelson had 19 points.
The Lower Division went to an extra game because Hackshop.com downed
Anderson Asphalt 48-43 Sunday and thus avenged a 3-point loss earlier in the tournament.
For Hackshop.com, Todd Mashmet and Tim Bomke had 12 points apiece, Brad
Dufer 10, Rod Watson 8, Mark Orler 4 and Mike Bourret 2. Nate Thornton led Anderson
Asphalt with 13 points, Shannon Wolf had 11, Tony Dalin 9, Lee Anderson 7 and Randy Knight
3.
In earlier Lower Division games:
Hackshop.com ousted Valley Club (3-12) by a score of 68-34 with Mashmet
(four 3-pointers) drilling 26 points and Bomke adding 18; and Valley Club eliminated
Shorty’s (4-11) with Jake Kraft scoring 26.
Awards Saturday in Hailey
The league wraps up Saturday, March 11 with end-of-season celebrations and
awards starting at 5 p.m. at Wicked Spud in Hailey. All fans and players are invited.
