Document text
Putnam rally ousts Crater from state playoffs By DON HUNT Mail Tribune CENTRAL POINT - The Crater Comets had Rex Putnam right where they wanted them in the waning minutes of a first-round state playoff game Tuesday night at Crater High. Derek Petersen's 3-point basket with 2:10 remaining gave the Comets a 54-47 lead. But the seven-point cushion wasn't enough. Putnam's Riley Luettgerodt drilled a 14-foot jumper with 12 seconds left that tied the game at 58-58, and the Kingsmen went on to claim a 67-62 overtime victory. The win advanced Putnam (17-8) into a second-round, subtournament game at Hermiston on Thursday. Seven turnovers in the fourth period and 22 on the night doomed the Comets, who were trying to win their first playoff game since 1990, when they finished fourth at the Class 4A state tournament. "We were in a good situation being up by seven points with two minutes to play, but we didn't take care of the ball," said Crater coach Matt Meunier, whose team finished its season with a 15-11 record. "We had a couple of crucial turnovers that killed us. "We were so close to winning we could taste it," Meunier added, "but we let it slip away." Petersen finished with a game-high 24 points, including five 3-pointers, for the Comets. Trevor Lauman scored 18 and Luettgerodt had 13 to pace Putnam, the No. 4 representative from the Three Rivers League. Putnam didn't wait long to cut into Crater's late-game lead. A layup by Lauman made it 54-49 with 1:58 to play in regulation, a pair of free throws by Ryan Brandel made it 54-51 with 1:10 remaining and a steal and layup by Brandon Leon cut the Comets' advantage to 54-53 with 55 seconds to go. Crater's Brian Goode finally stopped the bleeding when he sank two free throws with 46.9 ticks on the clock, but Putnam's Ryan Manougian drilled a long 3-pointer from the right wing that tied the game at 56-56 with 26 seconds remaining in regulation. Putnam then committed a foolish foul that put Goode on the line with 22.4 seconds left, and he responded with two more free throws that made it 58-56, Comets. But Luettgerodt, a 6-foot-3 sophomore who has enjoyed some huge games in recent weeks, hit the tying basket 10 seconds later. In the overtime, Kingsman junior post Peter Frick-Wright converted a quick 3-point play and Putnam never looked back. "We stepped up our defensive intensity in the last half of the fourth quarter, and that created the turnovers," Putnam coach Dan Barendse said. "We got some stops and gave ourselves a chance. "It was a great comeback on our part." With Lauman scoring 12 points in the first period, Putnam jumped to a 22-14 lead. Crater then went to a 2-3 zone defense, and the change in strategy sparked a comeback that saw the Comets get within 30-29 at halftime. Putnam then went scoreless over the first 5:47 of the third period while the Comets were getting a layup from Trevor Ryan, a 3-pointer from Petersen and a free throw from David Sills that lifted them to a 35-30 lead. But the Kingsmen then exploded for six quick points to take a 36-30 lead with 1:04 left in the period, and the game was nip and tuck the rest of the way. Crater - trailing 65-62 - had two chances to tie the game late in the overtime, but Petersen's 3-point attempt from the right wing went awry and then Ryan was called for an offensive foul away from the ball with 3.7 seconds to play. Putnam's Brandon Leon then put the game out of reach by sinking two free throws. "It's tough to lose a game like this because we had them by the throat," said Petersen, who had five rebounds and three steals to complement his 24 points. "But it wasn't for a lack of effort. We played hard the whole way, and just came up short." Goode added 14 points and four assists for the Comets, and Andrew Norum chipped in six points, nine rebounds and one blocked shot before fouling out with 1:46 to go in regulation play. REX PUTNAM (67) - Lauman 18, Luettgerodt 13, Manougian 10, Rose 6, Leon 6, Frick-Wright 5, Dorsey 5, Brandel 4, Vaughan 0, Wheeler 0. Totals: 23 18-33 67. CRATER (62) - Petersen 24, Goode 14, Gugliotta 7, Ryan 6, Norum 6, Davis 4, Sills 1, Goff 0. Totals: 25 6-9 62. Rex Putnam............................................22 8 8 20 9 - 67 Crater.....................................................14 15 8 21 4 - 62 3-point goals - Rex Putnam 3 (Manougian 2, Luettgerodt 1), Crater 6 (Petersen 5, Gugliotta 1). Fouled out - Norum, Gugliotta. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.