Columbia River's Nathan Hawthorne (1) steals the ball against Auburn's Tyler Pray (3) in the bi-district round of boys 3A basketball playoffs in Vancouver on Thursday.
All eyes watched the clock as it ticked down in the fourth quarter. Every possession had tension.
But the suspense wasn’t whether Columbia River would win its bi-district playoff game Thursday against Auburn.
It was whether the Chieftains would allow any points in the second half.
Columbia River’s 55-21 win actually was close at halftime, when the Chieftains led 18-14.
Then Columbia River went on a 30-0 run.
Auburn didn’t score a second-half point until 3 minutes, 16 seconds remained in the game — a span of 12:44.
But the win came at a cost. Columbia River senior guard Joey Bean, the 3A Greater St. Helens League player of the year, left the game in the third quarter after landing awkwardly on his ankle.
He couldn’t put any weight on it while being helped out of Columbia River’s locker room. He was en route to a hospital for X-rays.
River coach David Long said Bean almost certainly won’t play Saturday, when the Chieftains play Auburn Riverside at Rogers High School in Puyallup. The winner clinches a berth to the state tournament.
“I’m not optimistic that we’re going to get him back soon,” Long said. “We’re going to have to win a lot of games to have a chance to get him back on the floor.”
At 14.9 points per game, Bean is River’s leading scorer. He had a team-high 15 points in just 19 minutes Thursday.
“He’s been such an important part of our team, especially in the second half of the season,” Long said. “We’re going to have to rely on a few other kids. … But the good news is everybody can shoot. It hasn’t been the one-man Joey Bean show all season.”
The 3A GSHL champion Chieftains entered the postseason red hot, having won 10 of their last 11 games. But Columbia River (17-4) was ice cold in the first half, when it shot 6-for-22 from the field.
But Auburn (8-13) was just as cold. The No. 5 team from the South Puget Sound League was 4-for-15 from the field.
The cold shooting combined with Auburn’s slowdown style of play turned the first half into an uneventful quagmire.
“We were getting good shots,” River forward Chad Pedigo said. “But we wanted better shots. We wanted to get to the rim because our shots weren’t falling.”
River’s defense put on a press to start the second half. That forced three quick turnovers, which the Chieftains answered with baskets.
Once River’s lead hit double-digits, Auburn abandoned its slowdown style and couldn’t find a rhythm.
Columbia River outscored Auburn 22-0 in the third quarter.
Long said his team has come a long way defensively. He said the team’s man-to-man defense was so bad early in the season, a switch was made to zone defense.
But something clicked during a holiday tournament in Idaho, and now River’s man-to-man defense is a strength.
“This is a really good defensive squad,” Long said. “They take it personal. They do a great job with their feet. It’s a lot of hard work in practice. It wasn’t just an attitude change. It’s a lot of technique.”
And with their leading scorer now hobbled, the Chieftains will have to rely on that defense even more.
COLUMBIA RIVER — Nathan Hawthorne 2, Joey Bean 15, Andrew Vickers 5, Vincent Daniels 4, Jacob Hjort 0, Drew Moore 4, Tyler Hellman 3, Spencer Long 12, Chad Pedigo 5, Christian Stromme 2, Jordan Hall 3. Totals 19 (3) 13-14 55.
Auburn 5 9 0 7—21
Col. River 4 14 22 15—55
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