FORKS — Ben Peterson hit a free throw with a half-second remaining to lift Tenino over Forks 49-48 in a SWL-Evergreen Conference boys basketball game Friday night.
The game appeared headed for overtime when the Beavers missed a shot in the closing seconds with the scored tied at 48.
But a loose-ball foul gave Peterson a chance to give Tenino a win in regulation, and he took advantage of it.
“It was a heartbreaker,” Forks coach Rick Gooding said.
“Peterson stepped up and made a huge free throw; credit to him for making the shot.”
The game was a tale of two halves.
Forks jumped out to an early lead and held a nine-point advantage at halftime.
Tenino chipped away at the lead in the third and fourth quarters and limited the Spartans to just 17 second-half points.
“It’s my fault for not figuring out a way to get the ball inside,” Gooding said. “It was a coach’s loss.”
There were a couple of mismatches that I didn’t take advantage of.
“They had a few mismatches that they did take care of. I maybe should have went to a zone or switched up the defense.
“My boys played hard. I have no doubt they gave me everything they had. I’m very proud of them for the effort they put out.”
Braden Decker led Forks with 22 points.
Mark Jacobson added eight points and Leo Gonzales had seven.
“Decker did a great job. Offensively, he really carried us,” Gooding said.
“Jacobson and Gonzales did a good job, I thought, getting the ball inside.”
The win caps a big week for Tenino. On Wednesday, the Beavers picked up a big victory against one of the favorites to win SWL-Evergreen Division, Hoquiam.
The Spartans have a challenging week ahead.
They play at Neah Bay on Tuesday in a rematch of last month’s three-point win by Forks.
On Thursday, they host Hoquiam in a makeup of the game that was canceled due to weather on Dec. 18.
Forks (4-1, 10-2) closes out the week with a home game against Elma.
“It’s going to be a busy week for us,” Gooding said.
Tenino 49, Forks 48
Tenino 3 19 15 12— 49
Forks 13 18 9 8— 48
Individual scoring
Tenino (49)
Hammond 6, N. Peterson 1, Conklin 13, Egge 5, D. Harris 9, Shaw 8, B. Peterson 7.
Forks (48)
Raben 3, Gilmore 2, Harris 2, Decker 22, Hatch 4, Jacobson 8, Gonzales 7.
Sequim 57,
Valhalla (Calif.) 45
HENDERSON, Nev. — Jayson Brocklesby matched his career high with 35 points Thursday as the Wolves finished with a 2-1 record at the Foothill Holiday Classic in Nevada.
Brocklesby scored 18 of those points in the first half to lead Sequim (8-3) to a 30-18 halftime advantage over Valhalla from El Cajon, Calif.
Many of his points came off dribble drives and putbacks, but he also finished 2 for 5 on 3-pointers.
Sequim JV coach Phil Langston told KONP that the Wolves were more patient with more ball movement and backdoor cuts in Thursday’s contest than in their loss to Abraham Lincoln (Colo.) on Wednesday.
Sequim outrebouned the quick Norsemen 35-27 and limited them to a single shot on most possessions in the second half.
Gabe Carter added 11 points for the Wolves, matching his point total in the previous two games of the tournament.
Defensively, Rory Kallappa earned Langston’s praise for holding Valhalla (8-4) shooter David Gazale to 15 points. The Norsemen also received 12 points from Andrew Lozoya.
Sequim returns to league play with a big game at home against Bremerton on Tuesday night.
The Wolves and Knights are tied for second place in the Olympic League with 6-1 records. Olympic sits atop the standings at 7-0.
Sequim 57, Valhalla (El Cajon, Calif.) 45
Scoring by halves
Valhalla 18 27— 45
Sequim 30 27— 57
Individual scoring
Valhalla (45)
Mills 7, Lozoya 12, Gazale 15, Fakhoury 3, Qsar 3, Gladu 5.
Sequim (57)
Pinza 3, Barry 4, Kallappa 2, Brocklesby 35, Carter 11, Shimer 2.