WP Boys Fall to Wilbur-Creston, 84-72

SPOKANE – The Waitsburg-Prescott boys' basketball team's season ended Monday afternoon, after the Cardinals lost their sub-regional playoff game here to Wilbur-Creston, 84-72. A frustrating third quarter saw Wilbur-Creston score 34 points, and WP's 11-point halftime lead erased, as they were outscored in that frame, 34-14. The Cardinals trailed 59-50 after three.

"We ran into a buzz saw," said WP coach Tavis Crittenden of Wilbur's third-quarter performance. "I've never been involved in a 34-point quarter before. We switched from zone to man defense, but they just couldn't miss."

The Cardinals controlled the tempo for most of the first half, leading 13-12 at the end of the first quarter and 36-25 at the half. But the Wildcats came out smoking after the break, knocking down 13 third-quarter field goals, including three three-pointers, and going five for eight from the free-throw line. For the game, Wilbur hit 13 three-point shots and went 17 for 25 from the charity stripe.

The Cardinals were still in the game midway through the fourth quarter. With 6:11 remaining, Owen Lanning cut the Wildcat lead to four, 64-60, with a driving layup. He was fouled, but missed the free-throw.

The game see-sawed for the next three minutes. After layups by Kaimen Suffia and Jacob Dunn, WP trailed 68-64 with 3:10 to go. The teams continued to trade shots, and Wilbur's lead stood at 73-68 with 2 ½ minutes remaining. But two Wilbur threes in the final 2:15, put the game out of reach for the Cardinals.

Owen Lanning led Cardinal scorers with 19 points, followed by Suffia, with 12. Chance Leroue and Kyle Gradwohl had 10 each.

Crittenden was quick to praise his team, despite the tough loss. "The kids worked hard this year and I'm really proud of them," he said. "We're losing six seniors, and we'll really miss them. They're all great kids, and we'll have a good group coming back next year."