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AHS boys done in by free throws, 3-pointers By Chris Miller Ashland Daily Tidings A huge discrepancy from the free throw line spoiled the Ashland High boys basketball team's senior night as the Crater Comets bounced the Grizzlies 67-53 Tuesday night at Mountain Avenue gym. The loss dropped the Grizz to 3-9 in the Southern Oregon Conference and ended the home careers of Clint Bryan, Christopher Presicci, Bryan Clevenger, Nick Palmesano, Airin Brown and Zach Brown on a sour note. Their final home game was dominated by the Comets, with a little help from the charity stripe. The Comets were awarded 28 free throws to the Grizz eight. Crater junior point guard Preston Tate shot 16 free throws all by himself - making 14 - en route to a game-high 20 points. Ashland trailed most of the game, but did stage a brief comeback. The never-say-die Grizz battled back from a 44-36 deficit at the start of the final eight minutes to get within six (51-45) with only 3:40 remaining. Then disaster struck. Bryan knocked the ball out of bounds off Crater's senior center Andrew Norum. But possession mysteriously remained with the Comets amid a loud protest from the Grizz fans. "We got castrated," Bryan said after the game. Three straight fouls on the Grizz during one Crater possession left the score at 53-45 after Norum hit both ends of a one-and-one. The worst was yet to come. Ashland's head coach Rick Cornelius was free of technical fouls to this point in the season, but he finally broke on the ensuing play. Palmesano went high for an offensive rebound, caught the ball over a sea of players and was unintentionally undercut by Tate - which caused Palmesano to hit the floor hard and the ball to fly out of bounds. The call: Crater ball under the Grizz basket. The reaction: Cornelius went ballistic, yelling at the officials. Then Crater was awarded a two-shot technical foul. Cornelius was unavailable for comment after the game. Tate made both of the free throws to extend the Comet lead to 56-46, draining the air out of the Grizzlies' sails. The uneven foul shooting was not the only tale of the tape. The Comets made eight 3-pointers while successfully passing against the Grizz zone defense. Crater's 5-11 freshman Austin Wiersma led the game in 3's, hitting three for all of his nine points. When the trey wouldn't fall, Crater took advantage in the paint where the 5-11 Bryan was guarding the 6-5 Norum. Bryan held his own on defense, fouling out with 35 seconds left after holding Norum to 16 points. Ashland made four 3's, but only had five players contribute on the scoring end, led by Bryan with 14 points. The loss clouded an otherwise festive senior night in which Cornelius introduced each senior and his parents to the crowd, and gave each player flowers. Ashland plays two more games this season, both on the road. Its next game is Friday at North Medford, followed by a Feb. 21 tilt at Eagle Point. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -