Thriller in Tualatin

Boys basketball: The Wolves are edged by Newberg in league showdown

By Dan Brood

The Times, Feb 25, 2010

YEAH! — Tualatin’s Connor Ness (right) and Michael MacPherson run up to Corey VanDomelen (35) after he tied the game with a layup with 14 seconds to play.

DAN BROOD / The Times

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TUALATIN — Just two points.

Just 2.2 seconds.

Just one unfortunate whistle blown on what looked to be a possible big-time defensive play.

That may be all that potentially could end up separating the Tualatin High School boys basketball team from the Pacific Conference championship.

In a game that had huge implications in the league title chase, the Timberwolves were edged 41-39 by Newberg in a hard-fought, back-and-forth contest played Tuesday at Tualatin High School.

“We put it all out there,” said Tualatin senior post Michael MacPherson, who had 11 points and 10 rebounds in the game. “We really wanted the league title, but we fell just a little short.”

Make that a teeny, tiny, minuscule bit short.

Newberg got the game-winning points on a pair of free throws by senior guard A.J. Grant coming with 2.2 seconds left in the game.

He was sent to the stripe after Tualatin senior Michael Moreland was whistled for a foul after soaring up high to block Grant’s off-balance baseline jumper as the clock was running out.

“I’m pretty sure I got it clean,” said Moreland, who turned in a strong game coming off the bench for the Wolves. “It was a tough call, but that’s how it goes.”

Tualatin tried a full-court inbounds pass following Grant’s two free throws, but Newberg junior Brock Lutes, a transfer from Sherwood, intercepted the pass to seal the Tigers’ dramatic victory.

“We came into this wanting to be intense,” Moreland said. “We left it all out on the court. We gave it everything we had.”

With the win, Newberg improved to 11-3 in Pacific Conference play (16-6 overall), putting the Tigers a game ahead of both Tualatin (10-4, 15-8) and McMinnville with each team having one game left to play. The Timberwolves, who had their nine-game winning streak snapped on Tuesday, still have a chance to earn a share of the league title as well as get the No. 1 seed going into the Class 6A state playoffs.

For that to happen, Newberg would have to lose to McMinnville at home in a league finale tonight (Thursday) and Tualatin would have to win at Forest Grove. If those things occur, then there will be a pair of tiebreaker games between Newberg, Tualatin and McMinnville, played Friday and Saturday, to determine the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 seeds going to state.

If Newberg beats McMinnville tonight, then Tualatin will go into the Class 6A state playoffs as the No. 2 seed from the Pacific Conference, no matter what happens in tonight’s game at Forest Grove.

“If we get the No. 2 seed, that’s definitely not bad,” MacPherson said. “We’ll take it and we’ll be ready for the playoffs.”

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