Prospectors edge Trojans in epic county battle
PHILIPSBURG – With 22.9 seconds to play Daniel Brabender fed Jaxon Lee with a pass underneath the basket that Lee scored to give Granite a 39-38 lead over Drummond. Teammate Brian Ward added two free throws with 2.7 seconds left to secure a 41-38 win for the Prospectors against their county-rival Trojans.
“(Brian) Ward got hot there for a little bit and Kade stretched their defense,” said Granite Head Coach Dustin Keltner of the win, “and that opened up some driving lanes for us. I thought Jaxon and Daniel held their own on the boards against them. I mean, they’re big!
“Honestly, let’s just be honest – we just made one more play than they did.”
The two teams played to an 11-11 tie after one period. As the second period opened, The Trojans found their rhythm and got into their transition game which allowed them to open up a 26-20 halftime lead.
“We were able to break their press a little bit and get the ball down the floor,” said Drummond’s Levi Parsons. “We got some transition baskets out of that, which is what we were looking for.”
But during the break Granite righted its ship and came out on a mission. They outscored Drummond 12-6 in the third to nullify the Drummond advantage and tie the game again at 32-32.
The Trojans again started out hot, but Granite reeled them back in and eventually earned the win.
With 1:58 to play in the game a scary moment occurred on the Granite end of the floor. As the Prospectors Kade Cutler dribbled toward the top of the key he saw a wide-open lane with only the Trojans Wyatt Rigby to beat. Cutler drove to the basket and Rigby held his ground, taking the charge and giving Cutler the offensive foul. But Rigby fell to floor hard and hurting his back. It took him the better part of five minutes before he was able to make it to his feet with the help of his coach Parsons.
But has he started to make his way gingerly to the bench, Cutler – his teammate from the Flint Creek Football season that just ended – was there to give Rigby a hug and his best wishes for a quick recovery.
Cutler led all scorers in the game with 19 for Granite, while Brian Ward chipped in 11.
Luke Holland was the top scorer for Drummond with 15 with Damian Pool adding 11.
Both teams will close out play in December this Thursday. The Trojans will hit the road to play at Twin Bridges while the Prospectors will host Harrison-Willow Creek in Philipsburg.
SCORING
DRUMMOND – 11/15/6/6
GRANITE – 11/9/12/9 – 41
Drummond – Pool 11, JParke 4, Holland 15, Huberg 2, Rigby 4, Allen 2
Granite – Lee 6, Ward 11, PMetesh 1, Brabender 6, Cutler 19
JUNIOR VARSITY
Granite 50, Drummond 43
The Prospector JV got out to an early lead and held on for the win over Drummond.
Bryce Parret led Granite with 15 points on the night. Kai O’Donnell added 12 and Avery Metesh chipped in 10.
Caleb Parke was the leading scorer for Drummond with 10 while Tucker Weaver had nine.
