Buzzer beater lifts WR over Jerome
45-43
Boys (6-10) on three-game winning
streak
Call it a hustle play that got the job
done.
Scott Bohrer, in the right place at the
right time, banked home a buzzer-beating putback Monday in Hailey. Bohrer’s
clutch shot gave the Wood River High School boys’ varsity basketball team its
first three-game win streak in four years.
Brian Ward, Wood River senior, led the charge against Gooding Friday
night with aggressive play in the decisive fourth quarter. Express photo by
David N. Seelig
Bohrer’s opportunistic shot with no time
on the clock lifted 3A Wood River to a 45-43 non-conference home win over 4A
Jerome. It capped a fourth quarter during which both teams showed jitters—making
6 of 18 free throws combined.
That’s understandable, though. Both teams
are learning how to win. Wood River, with eight seniors, improved to 6-10 and
Jerome, with only one senior, dropped to 3-15.
Monday’s down-to-the-wire outcome meant
coach Fred Trenkle’s improving Hailey squad swept the 2003-04 season series from
both Jerome and Buhl—the first time that’s happened in 13 years—and the
Wolverines doubled their victory total from all last winter.
With their 50-46 home win over Gooding
Friday and 56-46 triumph at Buhl Tuesday, the Wolverines put themselves in
position to nail down third place in the Sawtooth Central Idaho Conference race
and a home game in the league tourney starting Tuesday, Feb. 17.
The Wood River-Jerome tussle featured 11
lead changes and four ties. Jerome set the pace prior to half-time, carrying a
22-21 lead to the locker room, then the Wolverines got scoring from five
different players in the third quarter and built a 34-30 lead.
Kory Ott, shooting here during Wood River’s 50-46 win over Gooding
Friday, played some excellent defense against Jerome’s 6-6 senior Jared Miller
Monday night. Express photo by David N. Seelig
With Jerome’s 6-6 senior Jared Miller (12
points, 10 rebounds, 6 steals) enjoying a fine all-around game, Wood River had
trouble penetrating the Tiger zone defense and getting the ball to its scoring
leader, 6-7 senior Jason Hofman (11.4 ppg).
But the Wolverines were patient and took
what they were given.
Hofman drilled a 17-foot baseliner on a
pass from Matt Pruett to cut Jerome’s lead to 38-37, then Pruett made a terrific
steal and fed Hofman for a coast-to-coast slam dunk and a 39-38 Hailey lead.
Kory Ott made it 41-40 Wood River, from Joe Paisley.
And Jeremy Selcho, the only Wolverine
making free throws in a forgettable 3-for-10 fourth quarter march to the line,
hit two charities for a 43-42 Hailey lead with 37 seconds remaining. After a
monster blocked shot by Hofman, his fourth, Hofman fouled Miller of Jerome, and
Miller made his first for a 43-43 tie at 12 seconds.
Miller’s second free throw was off the
mark. Selcho rebounded and Wood River called time in the offensive end with six
seconds left. On the inbounds, guard Brady Femling raced into the corner and put
up an 18-foot shot from the baseline. It missed, and Hofman missed the tip-in,
but Bohrer was there for the putback.
Hofman ended with 11 points and 10
rebounds. Ott added 10 points and 6 boards, and Selcho 7 points and 4 rebounds.
Femling had 6 assists.
Wood River out-rebounded Jerome 28-25 and
didn’t hit a 3-pointer all night, but gave up too many turnovers on sloppy
ball-handling. Jerome made 15 steals to help its cause.
Last Friday the Wolverines had a strong
team effort down the stretch—six different players scoring in the fourth—as they
held off a determined Gooding squad 50-46. Senior Brian Ward was particularly
effective with two clutch free throws plus two timely steals in the final
period.
Femling tallied 5 of his 7 points in the
third quarter when Wood River broke away from a tie game. Two straight baskets
by Hofman (14 points, 8 rebounds, 4 blocked shots) extended Wood River’s lead to
43-34 with four minutes remaining. Selcho also played well, with 13 points and 9
rebounds.
The Wolverines got back on the winning
track with a 56-46 SCIC win at Buhl last Tuesday that swept the season series
with the Tribe, and also ended Hailey’s six-game losing skid.
Bohrer (two 3-pointers) tallied a
season-best 16 points, all coming after the first quarter including 4 points in
Wood River’s decisive 19-11 fourth period surge. Ott added 12 points, Femling 8,
Hofman 6 and Ward 5. Wood River made four 3-pointers for the second straight
game at Buhl.
Wood River (4-4 league) entertains Filer
for its "Senior Night, Friday, Feb. 6. A win over Filer would avenge a 61-44
loss in January and lock up the third seed in the upcoming SCIC tourney for Wood
River—and a likely first-round home engagement with Buhl.
SCIC standings: Declo 14-2 (8-0, home vs.
Kimberly Saturday, 12 straight wins); Kimberly 9-5 (6-1, at Declo Saturday, 4
straight wins); Filer 4-10 (2-5, at Wood River Friday); Buhl 4-11 (3-5, home
Gooding Thursday); Gooding 2-15 (0-8, 12 straight losses).
WR 45-43 over Jerome: Jason Hofman
11 points, Kory Ott 10, Jeremy Selcho 7, Brady Femling 4, Scott Bohrer 4, Joe
Paisley 4, Brian Ward 3, Matt Pruett 2. Rebounds (28)—Hofman 10, Ott 6,
Selcho 4. Steals—Pruett 2, Riley Neff 2. Assists—Femling 6, Pruett
3. Blocked shots—Hofman 4.
WR 50-46 over Gooding: Hofman 14
points, Selcho 13, Femling 7, Ott 6, Ward 4, Pruett 2, Paisley 2, Bohrer 2.
Rebounds (38)—Selcho 9, Ott 9, Hofman 8, Ward 4, Paisley 3. Steals—Ward
3, Bohrer 2. Assists—Femling 5, Bohrer 3. Blocked shots—Hofman 4.
3-pointers—Femling 1.
Offense—46.7 ppg. Defense—51.7
ppg. Free throws—WR 159-299 (53%). Opposition—134-218 (61%).