Dayville/Monument senior Denali Twehues, right, attempts to pass around Ukiah/Long Creek junior Hailey Daltoso in Friday’s game.

The Long Creek/Ukiah boys basketball team barely got a 52-50 victory against Dayville/Monument in a game that came down to the final seconds. 

The Mountaineers and the Tigers kept the audience on the edge of their seats by keeping the scores relatively close with neither team having a lead greater than five points.

In the final minute and 17 seconds of the last quarter, a time out was called and the score was 50-47 with Long Creek/Ukiah ahead. The right side of the arena erupted with cheers in support of the Tigers and then the left side of the arena followed with their own cheers for the Mountaineers. 

Donovan Schafer, a junior for the Tigers, got a hold of the ball to score 2-points and was fouled in the process which gave him a chance for one free throw. Schafer made the free throw and the game was tied with 37.2 seconds left in the game. 

The ball went back and forth with the Tigers taking the ball from Long Creek/Ukiah and going for the game winning shot. The shot missed and Mountaineer senior Ben Combs got the rebound and began making his way to the other side of the court. He passed the ball to several teammates and Long Creek/Ukiah scored the final shot to end the game. 

Long Creek/Ukiah head coach TC Connor was happy in the progress that the team has made and their ability to trust each other, especially in the intense final seconds of the game.

“In earlier games when we lost, the team would get into pressured situations when we are down by five and start thinking they need to be the hero and start putting up threes,” said Connor. “I tell them ‘hey relax, just keep putting in twos’ and that’s what they are doing now. They are trusting in the system and are coming together.”    

The Dayville/Monument girls basketball team got a 36-17 victory over Long Creek/Ukiah. The first half of the game was relatively close with the tigers in the lead 17-9. In the second half of the game the tigers increased there lead while minimizing the scoring opportunities of the Long Creek/Ukiah girls. 

Tigers head coach Cheyenne Perkins was happy in the strength of the team leaders and the younger girls improving on the basics and doing well. 

“I am proud for the older girls for being leaders and stepping up and helping the younger girls play,” said Perkins.

Long Creek/Ukiah girls head coach Amos Studtman highlighted the progress that the girls team is making. The team did well their defensive plays during the game according to Studtman, but one focus for the team would be to reduce the amount of turn overs.