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St. Mary's falls to Oakland PENDLETON � Four games in four days takes a toll on any basketball player, regardless of conditioning or experience. St. Mary�s and Oakland each found that to be true in Friday�s consolation final of the Class 2A state tournament, with Oakland having enough in reserve to claim a 41-36 overtime victory and fifth place in the tournament. "Both teams were pretty exhausted and very good defensively so it was a struggle for both sides," said St. Mary�s assistant coach Dan Fiddler. "It was kind of like two prize fighters who were both huffing after each punch." St. Mary�s (20-7) held the defending champs scoreless in the fourth quarter and tacked on four points of its own to send the game into overtime tied at 36. Jared Sharp came up big defensively in the fourth for St. Mary�s, coming off the bench to post four steals and help stymie the Oakers (29-1). The Crusaders actually had three chances to win the contest in regulation but an initial shot by Chris Murphy rolled off the rim and two ensuing rebound attempts by Jones missed their mark. In the extra session, St. Mary�s still was unable to find its mark while Oakland got an early 3-pointer by Jordan Humphreys and a couple of free throws to seal the victory. Murphy led St. Mary�s with 15 points, while Jason Caplan had 10. Michael Fiddler chipped in eight rebounds and four assists for the Crusaders, who officially placed eighth in the tourney. The Crusaders also received a strong defensive effort for Jones, who held Oakland�s Blaine Bartholomew to nine points � his lowest total for the tournament. The point guard had been averaging 20 points per game. Nate Chartier led the Oakers, who entered the tourney with a state-record 56-game winning streak, with 11 points. ST. MARY�S (36) � P. Staver 2, B. Staver 2, Christensen 0, Jones 2, Caplan 10, Fiddler 3, Murphy 15, Sharp 2, Philips 0. Totals: 12 9-12 36. OAKLAND (41) � Chartier 11, B. Bartholomew 9, Humphreys 9, Knee 1, Whitaker 6, Davidson 3, Estes 0, Woody 2, D. Bartholomew 0. Totals: 15 5-9 41. St. Mary�s.................................................14 7 11 4 0 � 36 Oakland...................................................16 6 14 0 5 � 41 3-point goals � St. Mary�s 3 (Caplan 2, Murphy 1), Oakland 6 (B. Bartholomew 2, Humphreys 3, Whitaker 1). Fouled out � B. Staver. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.