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Mazama shoots down Rogue River in overtime By TIM PYLE ROGUE RIVER - ESPN will never know it, but an instant classic was played Friday night in this small Southern Oregon town. The Mazama and Rogue River boys basketball teams went toe to toe for 36 minutes in a tightly packed gym that danced with electricity. In overtime, Mazama made 3-of-3 from the free-throw line while Rogue River went 1-for-5, and the Vikings escaped with a wild, 80-78 victory. Senior post Chris Bocchi, who hadn't scored in the first 35 minutes-plus, calmly dropped two free throws with 8.7 seconds left to provide Mazama the winning margin - and second place outright in the Skyline through the first half of conference play. "I was just trying to concentrate and block it all out," said Bocchi, one of only two Vikings seniors. The Chieftains' last chance was an errant floater by junior guard Ryan Girodat at the buzzer, as prime options Derrick Schoner and Jason Luctherhand were blanketed by the Mazama defense. Schoner, a team-best 82-percent free-throw shooter entering the game and perfect on his first six attempts Friday, had a chance to push Rogue River ahead in the final seconds. Vikings junior guard Levell Hesia was whistled for a foul near midcourt as he attempted to strip Schoner, who finished with a team-high 27 points, with 8.7 seconds remaining and the score tied. But the front end of Schoner's one-and-one rattled out, and sophomore post J.T. Vaughn was called for going over Bocchi's back as Vaughn snatched the rebound. "There isn't anyplace we'd rather have the ball than in Schoner's hands with a chance to win it," said second-year Chieftains head coach Scott Anderson. The Chieftain fans - whom Anderson, a 1997 Rogue River graduate, said were the loudest he has ever heard them - tried their best to rattle Bocchi, but to no avail. "It was just a dogfight the whole way," said Mazama head coach Randy Rose. "Chris Bocchi, one of my two seniors, stepped up there cool as can be and got it done." The drama of the last seconds befitted an emotional game that was spectacularly close and competitive throughout. Both teams came out on fire, with the ninth-ranked Vikings building a 23-20 edge through one quarter on the strength of 10 points from Hesia, who finished with a game-high 35. The fifth-ranked Chieftains blistered the nets in making 10 of their 16 second-quarter field-goal attempts and took a 48-45 lead at the half. Rogue River shot 61.5 percent from the field for the first half and 53.7 percent overall, while Mazama fired at a 56-percent clip in the first half and 50 percent for the game. In a matchup of cat-quick, hot-shooting guards, Schoner ended the half with 17 points and three 3-pointers, while Hesia was 7-of-9 from the field for 19 points. The Chieftains earned their largest lead early in the third quarter, 55-48, but the Vikings closed to 62-60 by the period's conclusion. The pace slowed considerably during the last half of the fourth quarter. Mazama jumped to a 73-69 edge on a Hesia 3-pointer and a free throw from junior forward Tyler Larson with about 2 minutes remaining. But after Hesia missed the front end of a one-and-one, Rogue River got a Luchterhand layup off a Schoner assist to make it 73-71. Hesia missed another front end with 47.6 seconds left, and Luchterhand corralled the board. Following two timeouts, the Chieftains ended up with an open look for senior guard Ryan Mortinson in the dying seconds. Mortinson pushed his jump shot well long, but Schoner sped to the rebound along the baseline and lofted a desperation jumper over the backboard and in as the regulation buzzer sounded. "I saw the ball go up on the other side and saw there was no one on the weak side, so I knew I had to get there," said Schoner, who shot 8-for-13 from the field and drained five 3-pointers. "I knew there was hardly any time left, if any, and I knew I had to just sink it. I looked up and saw the backboard and was like 'crap.' But I knew I had to put it in, and I did." In overtime, Hesia converted an old-fashioned three-point play, then Vaughn banked home a free-throw line jumper. Hesia responded with another driving basket, and Vaughn made 1-of-2 from the line. Up 78-76, the Vikings went into their delay offense, but Girodat picked off a pass and sprinted down the court for a tying layup. Hesia drove the lane again, lofting up a floater that rolled out and into Luchterhand's grasp with 56.8 seconds left. Schoner, Luchterhand and senior guard Luke Mortinson played catch to run down the clock before Hesia fouled Schoner. "The thing is I pride myself on is being an incredibly good free-throw shooter," Schoner says. "I was second in the state last year in free-throw percentage. ... If I'm gonna be at the level where I want to be, I need to be able to make a free throw, especially in the clutch." Then Vaughn fouled Bocchi, and the senior made two pressure-packed free throws to win it. "It was a fun game to play in," said Hesia, who lived up to his hype as one of the state's best players by shooting 14-of-22 from the field but could only shake his head at his free-throw misses at the end of regulation. "I look forward to challenges like this, and I like playing against good players like (Schoner)." The loss was tough for Rogue River to swallow, but Anderson and his troops know the Skyline season is far from finished. "I still feel we're the better team," Anderson said. "We've got (conference-leader) Illinois Valley at home and have to go to Mazama, plus five other games. The road is tough, but we've still got a chance to win it." What did end Friday night, however, was an epic clash that will forever be remembered by all involved and onlooking. "It was just a great high school basketball game," Rose said. "One of the most exciting games I've seen in awhile." MAZAMA (80) - Larson 13, Bocchi 2, Brosterhous 9, Giacomelli 17, Hesia 35, Wagner 2, Clark 2, Thornton 0, Slezak 0. Totals 27-54 19-24 80. ROGUE RIVER (78) - R. Mortinson 6, Luchterhand 13, Vaughn 12, Schoner 27, L. Mortinson 7, Girodat 9, Coma 2, Badley 2. Totals 29-54 14-21 78. Mazama .......................................... 23 22 15 13 7 - 80 Rogue River .................................. 20 28 14 11 5 - 78 3-point goals - Mazama 7 (Giacomelli 5, Hesia 2), Rogue River 6 (Schoner 5, Girodat 1). Fouled out - Brosterhous, Vaughn, L. Mortinson. Technical - Mazama for illegal substitution. Reach reporter Tim Pyle at 776-4483 or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.