(Woodbine) Woodbine erased a 16-point halftime deficit to keep their season alive on Monday. The Tigers won their Class 1A District Quarterfinal matchup in overtime against Riverside 53-50.
Carson Kelley sank his 56th 3-pointer of the season with :10 left in OT to give the home team their first lead since the early part of the 2nd quarter. Carter Gruver scored 22 points and went 8/9 at the free-throw line to lead the way. Brody Pryor posted 11 of his 12 points in the 2nd half.
The Tigers led early, including by as many as six in the first quarter. Riverside didn’t get on the board until the 2:53 mark left in the 1st quarter and eventually closed within 8-6 at the end of one frame. The 2nd quarter was by far the Bulldog’s best stretch of the night. They outscored Woodbine 20-4, including 14-straight points at the end of the first half to lead 26-12 at the break. A steal and buzzer beater by Ayden Salais gave them plenty of momentum heading into intermission. Woodbine made just 5/27 from the field in the first half.
It was two seniors leading the way for Riverside as they built what seemed like a comfortable lead in the 3rd quarter. Ayden Salais finished with 18 points and Aiden Bell scored 17. Bell’s 3-point shooting in the 2nd half helped Riverside grow their advantage to as big as 37-21 before Woodbine came storming back. Pryor sank a couple of 3-pointers and the Tigers upped their pressure on the defensive end.
Woodbine was able to score the final nine points of the 3rd quarter to get within striking distance going into the 4th at 37-30. In the final frame they cut the deficit to three on a couple of occasions, and eventually within two in the final minutes. A pair of Gruver free-throws tied things at 44 and forced OT.
Riverside got early 3-pointers from Bell and Grady Jeppesen in the extra session to grab a 50-46 advantage. Jeppesen finished with 11 points on the night. A 3-point play by Gruver snugged things up to 50-49 and set the stage for Kelley’s big triple. His left corner 3-ball put Woodbine in front for the first time since the score was 12-10. Riverside got called for a travel and was forced to foul with less than five seconds remaining. Gruver hit 1/2 to push the lead to 53-50. The Bulldogs never got a shot off in the finals seconds. They end their year at 8-14. Monday night was Riverside’s sixth loss by seven points or less.
Woodbine advances to face Exira-EHK for a 3rd time. The (16-6) Tigers split with the (18-4) Spartans in the regular season. Thursday’s district semifinal will be played in Elk Horn.
