Top-seeded Phoenix Bar & Grill survived another tournament scare, and #2-seeded Sawtooth Paint/Soundwave used tough defense to subdue 2001-03 champion Jivaro Headhunters Wednesday night.
Action took place in a pair of important winner bracket games during the 2005 Sutton & Sons men's basketball city tournament played at The Community Campus gym in Hailey.
Phoenix Bar & Grill (14-0), trailing 64-63 with 4:35 left, finished the game with a 7-0 run to beat defending tournament champion and #6 seed Sturges Productions (7-8) by a score of 70-64.
Jeff Monroe (21 points) and Pat Loftus (21) of Phoenix each scored 15 points in the second half to pace the regular-season league champions. Justin Herald (four 3-pointers) finished with a game-high 27 points and Buddy Peterson added 12 for Sturges.
Sawtooth Paint/Soundwave (13-2) extended its two-point half-time lead and built a 55-43 cushion over #3-seeded Jivaro on Christian Nickum's 3-pointer with six minutes left. Rebounding and running the floor, Jivaro went on an 11-2 run and cut the deficit to 57-54 with 1:45 remaining.
At that point, Sawtooth Paint's Josh Shetler (12 points) blew past the Jivaro defense for a huge lay-up and Soundwave's top rebounder Sean Johnson made two charities for a 61-55 lead. The final score favored Sawtooth Paint/Soundwave 64-57.
Johnson ended up with 11 of his team-high 17 points in the second half for Soundwave. David Morgan added 13 and Nickum 12 including three 3-balls after the half. For Jivaro (11-3), Darrell Tullis and Mike Payne had 14.
Cold-shooting Jivaro was hampered all long by Sawtooth Paint's tough man-to-man defense. Now, Jivaro has to play one and possibly two tough games Sunday to stay alive in the 10-team double elimination tournament.
Jivaro meets #5-seeded Whiskey Jacques (9-7) Sunday, March 20 at 1:15 p.m.—one of four games on the final Sunday of the tournament.
Whiskeys used well-balanced scoring to oust #8-seeded Growing Concern (4-11) 87-64 Tuesday night. Fernando Murga scored 24 points, Matt Stacey 16 and Craig Morse 11 for Whiskeys. Gary Carr (five 3-pointers) poured in 19 and Tim Richards had 18 for Growing Concern.
In Sunday's first game at noon, Sturges Productions will go against the winner of Friday's loser-out match-up between #4-seeded Sutton & Sons (9-6) and #7 Sun Valley Brokers (5-10). Sutton & Sons got 24 points from Wes Southward in its 55-44 victory over Pick-up Boys Tuesday. Jordan Dale tallied 15 for Pick-up Boys (0-14).
Sunday's feature game will match Phoenix and Sawtooth Paint/Soundwave at 2:30 p.m.
The loser bracket final is set for Tuesday, March 22 at 7 p.m. with the championship game Thursday, March 24 at 7 p.m. on the Hailey hardwoods.
