The Pe Ell boys basketball team nearly lost its game against South Bend in the third quarter, but the Trojans won it in the fourth, coming back from a late deficit to pull out a 49-46 win.
“I am very pleased with the way we handled adversity tonight,” Pe Ell coach Chris Phelps said. “Our third quarter was one of the worst quarters we played all year offensively and defensively. Our coaching staff challenged our guys to respond, and they did.”
Trailing by five points with 42 seconds left in the fourth, Pe Ell got a stop, then got a bucket from Logan Baldwin to cut the gap to 46-43. The Trojans fouled to put South Bend at the line, came down with the rebound, and found Blake Howard for an open 3-pointer to tie the game with 22 seconds left.
One more stop gave Pe Ell the ball back, and it went straight to the hot hand, with Howard — who hadn’t hit a 3-pointer the entire game up to the previous possession — burying his second triple in a row with five seconds left on the clock for the win.
Pe Ell, which went into the fourth quarter on 28 points, having combined for just 14 between the second and third quarters, racked up 21 points in the final period.
Kail Homan led the way with 17 points; he was the only Trojan to score in each quarter. Baldwin came away with 11, and Howard finished with 10.
Pe Ell (3-3, 2-1 1B CVL) will face Ocosta on the road Monday in a non-league matchup.
