This one’s for you, Mom.
Actually, these other 36 are for you, too.
Warren Edmondson scored a career-high 37 points, including the putback at the buzzer of regulation to force overtime, leading the Evergreen Plainsmen to a 91-82 victory over Union in a Class 4A Greater St. Helens League boys basketball clash Friday night.
Edmondson’s mom, Lashondra Lincoln, was involved in a car crash earlier in the day. He said she will be alright but was a little shaken, and she was still in the hospital when the game started. Edmondson decided to play, for her, before leaving Evergreen High School to be by her side.
He had some news to tell her.
Edmondson made 14 of 25 shots, including four 3-pointers, in his breakout performance. The Plainsmen needed all 30 of his points in regulation, then he added seven in an overtime period that was decided early with an 8-0 Evergreen run.
Teammate Caleb Dressler did his best Kevin Love impersonation with 25 points and 21 rebounds, including 13 offensive boards.
The Plainsmen controlled much of this game in front of a hyped-up home crowd for this Evergreen School District rivalry.
But the Titans, last year’s 3A state champions now in Class 4A, rallied from a 15-point, second-half deficit to take a two-point lead on a 3-pointer from Jordan Chatman with six seconds remaining. Evergreen called a timeout with 5 seconds on the clock.
From there, Oshay Piper drove the length of the court and threw up a shot that bounced off the glass then the front rim. Edmondson was there for the put-back just before the horn.
“I ran and jumped as high as I could and hoped, if he missed, it would come to my hands,” Edmondson said. “And it did.”
All of his teammates chased Edmondson on the court to celebrate before realizing they still had an overtime session to play.
It was all Evergreen in those final four minutes.
Tre Clark got it started with an offensive rebound and putback, then Dressler got another offensive rebound and layup for a four-point lead.
Edmondson converted on a fast break on Evergreen’s next possession. And after another Union miss, Dressler hit the offensive board again for two more second-chance points and an 82-74 lead.
Union would get no closer than five points the rest of the game. When the final buzzer sounded, the Evergreen fans joined the players on the court.
“I’ve never played in something so much like this,” Dressler said. “It’s amazing to see all these fans come out. It’s an atmosphere like no other. You don’t experience it until you’re out on the court.”
The win resonated more with Dressler than his 20-20 performance.
“I’m never impressed with my numbers,” he said. “I think I can always do better.”
Chatman’s second-half numbers were as impressive as anyone’s on the floor. After being held scoreless in the first half, Chatman was 9 of 14 in the second half, including six 3-pointers, and scored 27 points. He had four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter as Union erased an 11-point deficit.
Tanner Nelson finished with 17 points for the Titans. Austin Candanoza’s aggressive play got him to the line often, and he ended up with 14 points. Caleb Whalen had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds for Union.
Evergreen’s biggest lead was 15 at 53-38 with a few minutes left in the third quarter. Stefan Foulstone had nine points for the Plainsmen, and Piper added eight to go along with seven assists.
Whalen’s basket with 48 seconds left in regulation gave Union its first lead since the first quarter.
But Dressler followed that 10 seconds later with, yep, another offensive rebound and putback to make it 72-71.
The Titans would miss on their next opportunity, but Edmondson took an ill-advised 3-pointer with 12 seconds left. That miss gave the Titans time to score, and Chatman buried his 3-pointer.
Five seconds later, Edmondson more than made up for his gaffe.
By the end of the night, he had quite a story to tell his mom.
