For the third time this season, the meeting between the Onalaska and Winlock boys came down to the wire. And for the second matchup in a row, the Loggers came away with the late bucket to lift them to victory.
Case McGraw’s layup with 2.3 seconds to play in overtime propelled Onalaska to a 57-56 season-saving victory over Winlock on Saturday, one that keeps the Loggers alive in the 2B District 4 Tournament.
The Loggers trailed by as much as nine in the second half, but were able to battle back to give themselves a chance late.
“They just weren’t ready to be done for the season,” Onalaska coach Fred Sturza said. “The intensity level was at its highest, and they rallied back.”
The final play started with an inbound, with the play designed to go to an open shooter in the corner. Instead, when Winlock guarded the corner well, Blaze Underhill turned to Plan B and got the ball to Justin Jacoby in the post.
Jacoby had the green light to take the shot, but instead was able to hit McGraw, who made a beautiful back-door cut to get an open layup for the win.
“I wish I could take credit for it,” Sturza joked while laughing. “They just made the adjustment on the play. It was awesome … To have (McGraw) come up, play big defensively, and have that game-winning layup was a huge confidence boost for him.”
Nick Rushton and Underhill tied for a team-high 12 points, while Jacoby scored 11 and McGraw finished with nine.
It’s a disappointing end for Winlock, which finishes its season 7-15. Landen Cline tallied 21 points, nine rebounds, and six assists, and Freddy Patching finished with 14 points, five rebounds, and four assists.
Mason Ruiz and Carter Svenson both added four, while Ruiz grabbed nine rebounds and Svenson logged eight rebounds and three blocks.
The Cardinals will graduate just one senior, Lincoln Ruiz, who unfortunately missed most of his senior season with an injury.
Onalaska (11-13) is still alive, but will need two more wins to make it through to the state tournament. The Loggers will face Ilwaco on Wednesday at Castle Rock.
