Late basket pushes Bengals past Sandpoint in thrilling nonleague battle

SANDPOINT — A nail-biting back-and-forth affair took place at Les Rogers Court on Thursday night.

Unfortunately, the Bulldogs were on the wrong end of it.

With 3.6 seconds left, Lewiston’s Brandon Forsman hit a jumper from the top of the key to give the Bengals a 58-56 nonleague victory over Sandpoint boys basketball.

The Bulldogs had a look to win it as time expired, but Parker Childs' 3-pointer from well beyond the arc just wouldn't fall.

SHS gave it everything they had and came up just a few points short. Head coach Brian Childs said this loss stings, but the resiliency his team showed all game was remarkable.

"I couldn't be more proud of the effort, the fight, the toughness," he said. We didn't back down tonight ... Every time we got knocked down, we got right back up and got after them."

Childs said the Bulldogs just weren't crisp enough down the stretch to emerge victorious against a 5A Lewiston squad that has plenty of experience in tight games and boasts six seniors.

"It's just a mistake here, a mistake there," he said. "There were times where we got a little rushed tonight ... and we might have made a mistake, but we bounced right back. We just worked our tails off tonight and I think if we continue to do that good things are going to happen for us."

Sandpoint's inability to capitalize on its opportunities from the free-throw line came back to bite them. They were 13-of-22, while Lewiston was 4-of-8.

"We're disappointed, but we're getting there, we're getting better," Childs said. "That's a really good team ... and I really believe we're getting close."

Sandpoint and Lewiston put on an offensive show in the first half.

The two teams went back and forth, and shot for shot at times. They put on a absolute clinic from the beyond the arc in the first half, combining for 13 3-pointers.

Everyone was feeling it early and no one was afraid to let it loose from long range.

The Bulldogs took their first lead of the night on a 3-pointer from Randy Lane just over five minutes into the game and they held onto it until Lewiston went on a 11-3 run to open the second quarter. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Jace McKarcher allowed the Bengals to grab a 28-22 advantage.

But the Bulldogs came right back and a 3-pointer from Parker late in the quarter allowed them to carry a 37-36 lead into halftime.

The second half couldn't have been any different. Both teams struggled to find the bottom of the net and the defensive intensity was elevated.

The teams traded the lead multiple times, but the Bengals went into the fourth quarter with a 46-45 advantage.

Sandpoint took the lead midway through the final quarter and kept it until McKarcher was fouled on a layup with 1:50 left. He made the basket and converted the free throw to tie the game at 56-56.

The Bulldogs had a look from beyond the arc with under a minute left, but couldn't convert. The Bengals held onto the ball until they drilled the game-winning shot.

Lane led the team with 16 points, including 13 in the first half. Ethan Butler grabbed 9 points and seven rebounds, Arie VanDenBerg scored 9 points on a trio of 3-pointers and Rusty Lee tallied 8 points, five rebounds and five assists.

Parker finished with 8 points and five rebounds, Evan Dickinson had 5 points and Jacob Eldridge added six rebounds.

"I thought defensively we were pretty good," Childs said. "I thought we mixed up our zones a little bit and just tried to keep giving them different looks and it allowed us to hang in the game and give ourselves a chance to win right down to the last possession."

Sandpoint (1-4) hosts Priest River at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Lewiston 17 19 10 12 — 58

Sandpoint 19 18 8 11 — 56

LEWISTON — Chanse 8, McKarcher 14, Glaze 0, Way 6, Hepburn 5, Hottinger 0, Forsman 15, Wren 0, Lawrence 0, White 4, Hottinger 6.

SANDPOINT — Lee 8, Eldridge 1, VanDenBerg 9, Dickinson 5, Childs 8, Lane 16, Butler 9.