Pirates Seize and Conquer

Ferris couldn’t capitalize on a last second opportunity and fell to Rogers on Saturday

The Ferris Saxons were unable to hold on at Rogers on Friday.  The game had multiple lead changes throughout the game. The two opponents were tied going in to the fourth and final quarter, and it was the Pirates who were able to get the win. This required some grit on the defensive end for Rogers in the final seconds of the game. Ferris’ inability to match Rogers’ score at the conclusion of the game left them with another loss, meaning they are now 7-5 in league, and 9-8 overall. The Saxons return back to fifth place in the Greater Spokane League, and thus are still in the picture for approaching postseason District play.

The game with the Pirates was of the back-and-forth nature for the duration of the contest. A high scoring first quarter resulted in a 23-20 advantage for the visiting team Saxons heading into the second period of play. In the second quarter, scoring slowed down a bit. The Pirates scored just 15 in this period, but still managed to outscore their counterparts.  Rogers allowed just 11 points from the Saxon offense. Thus, Ferris was at a one –point deficit heading into halftime. The score was 35-34 in favor of the home team. For the duration of the first half, neither party was able to extend their lead to any sort of unmanageable situation for their opponents. The teams stayed relatively close on the scoreboard for the first half, and really, throughout the duration of the contest.

Ferris held its small disadvantage coming out of halftime. The third quarter was another back-and-forth display of basketball. Many lead changes took place (this continued on into the fourth quarter). The Saxons were able to outscore Rogers 15-14 in the third quarter, erasing their one-point deficit and knotting the game up. It all came down to the fourth quarter. Well, more specifically, it all came down to the final 15 seconds of the game.

With a few minutes left in regulation, the Pirates commandeered the lead. They maintained this lead for a few minutes. With under a minute left in the game, junior Saxon Grant Livingston was called for an unfortunate blocking foul with under a minute left. Livingston said, “The plan was to put some pressure on them and try to force a turnover before we had to foul.” However, regardless of the blocking foul, the Saxons were able to force a turnover and retain possession. They were at a 2-point disadvantage with less than 20 seconds left. The Saxons’ coach Don Van Lierop wisely called a timeout to draw up a final play to either tie or take the lead. With about 15 seconds left, Ferris inbounded the ball from half court. The rock is in Riley Stockton’s hands. Stockton was used to this situation, looking back to his last-second heroics at Mead a few weeks ago. Riley took the ball strong to the rack. He went up and met a brick wall in the shape of a Rogers defender. Referees blew the play dead and many Saxon fans and players were disgruntled by the official’s ruling. The call was an offensive foul on Stockton, resulting in the loss of possession for Ferris with just over 2 seconds remaining. The tough ruling left some Saxons unhappy.  “The offensive call was tough because it seemed like the same situation was called a block a few seconds earlier when we were on defense,” said Grant Livingston. Ferris was forced to foul immediately. They did so, and the Rogers offender sank his first free throw and missed his second, extending the Pirates’ lead to 3. Jason Bates threw up a prayer at the buzzer from the opposite free throw line. The prayer was left unanswered, and the Saxons were handed a loss. The Saxons are now 7-4 in league and 9-7 overall.

Ferris’ efforts wound up just short at Rogers on Saturday. The game involved a battle of long-range proportions. The Saxons combined for six three-pointers as a team. Five – yes, five of those belonged to sophomore Chris Wilson. Wilson finished with a whopping 23 points. The sixth came from senior Jason Bates. However, on the other side of the court, the Pirates lit it up from downtown. They combined for 8 threes as a team, but had a less-lopsided long range approach than did the Saxons. Six different Pirates hit at least one three, and two of them had a pair of long-range buckets. Stockton had a big day for Ferris as well, despite his questionable last second charge. Riley had 16 points and went a perfect 2-2 from the free throw stripe. In the end however, it was the Pirates who hung on to win by three. This loss is a tough one for Ferris. It is yet another setback in their mission to climb to league ranks for a spot in the District tournament in a few weeks. “That was a tough one to swallow, especially how it ended on the offensive foul call. But we’ve just got to move on. It makes our game on Tuesday that much more important,” said senior Saxon Connor Halliday. Halliday is referring to their game against Shadle Park on Tuesday. The last time these teams met was in a preseason non-league affair. The Highlanders emerged victorious by a margin of 13 points. A win for Ferris would be a big step towards upping their league status. Good luck on Tuesday Saxons!