Bulldogs claim hard-fought OT win
MOSCOW — The Moscow Bears got exactly what they wanted Tuesday night in a 4A Region 1 home playoff game against Sandpoint — a low scoring, grinding game.
What they didn’t count on was getting beat at their own style, as the Bulldogs, facing elimination, ground out a hard-fought 50-47 overtime win, extending their season at least one more game.
Junior Stefan Buratto led the Bulldogs (8-14) with 19 points, many during crunch time, and added seven points and six assists in the stellar all-around effort. Spencer Swerin added 15 points and eight rebounds, teaming with Buratto to give the Bulldogs enough in a game where possessions were at a premium.
“They’re really a one-two punch right now,” said Bulldogs coach Tyler Haynes of the pair. “The rest of the guys are playing off that and making some big shots.”
The game was played at a deliberate pace, with the score just 12-12 at halftime, as both teams have film of each other and knew exactly what to expect. It was a relatively clean game, with Sandpoint making just 11 turnovers.
Sandpoint built a 13 point lead at one point in the fourth quarter, before Moscow made a furious run at the end of regulation. Bryce Olin’s second 3-pointer of the game, with a minute left in overtime, proved to be the winning margin.
“We could have sealed the deal in regulation, and it shows the character of this team that we came back in overtime,” said Haynes, who delivered a simple message to his team after the satisfying win. “We got the easy part done, now we have to come back and do it again.”
Mac Stannard led the Bears (9-12) with 15 points, but Haynes called them the toughest 15 points he’s ever seen a player earn, crediting the stellar defensive effort of Swerin. Tanner French and Brandon Lawrence each added five in the win.
Sandpoint is at Moscow again on Thursday night, with the winner advancing to the 4A state tournament.
Tip off is at 7 p.m., at the Bear Den, and the game will be carried live in Sandpoint by AM 1400.
Sandpoint 7 5 14 14 10 — 50
Moscow 7 5 9 19 7 — 47
SANDPOINT — Olin 6, Tucker 0, French 5, Lawrence 5, Cafferty 0, Swerin 15, Shultz 0, Buratto 19.