It is officially play-off time for basketball, making each game more exciting and important. Last night's overtime showdown between the Saints of North Clackamas Christian (NCC) and the Open Door Academy Huskies was no exception.
Open Door won both regular season match-ups by a combined 12 points, but the play-offs mark a fresh slate for teams to show up when it matters most.
The Huskies were the Valley-10 #2 seed while the Saints occupied the #3 seed. The winner would earn a play-off berth and an opportunity to play #1 seed Country Christian for the district title while the loser would have a matchup against #4-seeded Trinity Academy to play for the final league play-off berth.
In a back and forth affair that saw heroics by many players, the Saints edged out the Huskies in overtime 51-49.
"I've been in their spot," Saint's Coach Grant Nelson said after the game. "Games like this are not a surprise at districts. It's nice to be the team without pressure."
The Saints dominated the first half. Senior Isaac Minnie scored 19 points in the first half, including 5/8 on 3-point shots (many coming from well behind the arch). Minnie's outstanding performance accounted for all but 10 of the team's first half points.
"I knew deep three's would be open," Minnie said after the game. Senior Luke Nelson added that, "It's super nice to have someone that can hit deep threes. Teams can't guard it."
The Huskies did an excellent job of holding Nelson in check for the first half, holding the thousand-point scorer to just 3 points in the first half.
The Saint's defense was stifling, keeping the Huskies to just 18 points in the first half. The Saints forced several turnovers leading to fast-break baskets that helped get their offense rolling after only scoring 4 points in the first five minutes of play.
The score was 29-18 in favor of the Saints going into the break.
Coming out of halftime, the tide of the game swung in the favor of Open Door. The Huskies allowed only 6 points in the second quarter and scored 11 of their own. The fourth quarter was similar, with Open Door forcing turnovers and making steady progress into the NCC lead.
Junior Isaiah Wolcott led the Huskies in scoring with 12 points in the second half. With 5:06 to play, the Huskies had pulled even with the Saints.
The Huskies took a their first lead since early in the first quarter with 4:15 to play. After making a defensive stop, the Huskies went up by 3 points with under 3 minutes to play. With the Saints struggling to score, it looked as if the Huskies were going to pull away and complete the comeback.
That is when Nelson finally found his shot. With 2:15 to play, the Senior guard hit a step back 3-pointer to tie the game. When the Huskies went up again, Nelson drove to the hoop to even the score. With under a minute to play, Open Door went up by 2 again, giving the Saints one last chance.
With 14.5 seconds to go, Senior Landon Meuser scored a contested lay-up over two Open Door defenders to tie the game. The Huskies failed to score on their final possession, sending the game to overtime.
Senior heroics came out again in overtime for the Saints. Minnie scored a clutch "and-1" 3-point play which put NCC up by one. Junior James Zelenivskiy hit two shots in overtime for the Huskies, including one to put Open Door up by 1 with under a minute to play. But it would be Nelson who hit the final shot of the game by sinking a game-winning 3-point shot with 9.5 seconds to play.
In the final 6:15 of play, Nelson scored 11 points to keep the district title hopes alive for the Saints. "It's a little extra special, and I couldn't be more proud," Coach Nelson said after the game, reflecting on his son's performance. "I was just trying to create shots and make it up to my teammates," Luke Nelson said of his own heroics.
Minnie led all scorers with 25 points (including 6 3-pointers). Nelson ended the game with 15 points. Wolcott ended with 15 points for the Huskies.
Both teams have a quick turn around. Open Door faces Trinity academy at 4:30pm. NCC will play Country Christian at 8:00pm. "We already got to where we need to be, and we're hungry for more," Minnie said of their next match-up.
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