MONTESANO–Montesano needed not one, but two clutch shots to beat the Hoquiam Grizzlies 71-70 in a thrilling overtime game on Wednesday at Montesano High School.

In a key 1A Evergreen League matchup for both teams, the Bulldogs (12-5 overall, 5-1 1A Evergreen) got the early jump on the Grizzlies (8-9, 2-3) with an 18-0 run in the first quarter, taking a 20-5 lead on a pair of free throws from junior post Caden Grubb with 1:32 to play in the first half.

Hoquiam responded in the second quarter, ramping up the energy to cut the deficit to 31-24 on an and-1 bucket in the paint from sophomore forward Talan Abbott with just over a minute left on the clock.

But buckets in the paint from Bulldogs senior forward Mason Fry and Grubb in the final minute staked Monte to a 35-24 halftime lead.

RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Montesano’s Mason Fry scored a game-high 28 points in a 71-70 overtime win over Hoquiam on Wednesday at Montesano High School.

“I don’t think it’s a secret we want to pound them inside,” Monte head coach Shaydon Farmer said. “We came out free and played fast. It was a different mentality than our last couple of games, which is refreshing to see.”

Hoquiam’s march back into the game continued in the third quarter.

The Grizzlies pulled to within six at 37-31 on a pull-up 3-pointer from junior standout guard Lincoln Niemi at 5:49 of the period.

With just under three minutes to play in the third, a Niemi steal and layup pulled Hoquiam to within a point at 39-38 and, after a Monte timeout, Hoquiam’s comeback was complete when Niemi scored to give the Grizzlies their first lead since early in the first quarter at 41-39 with 2:14 on the clock.

Grizzlies senior Joey Bozich buried a three off a kickout assist from Niemi to put Hoquiam up 44-41 heading into the fourth quarter.

“(Hoquiam) got some pressure on us, got physical and hit some shots,” Farmer said. “That’s a really good shooting team.”

The two teams would not be separated by more than three points throughout much of the final frame until Grizzlies freshman K.J. McCoy hit 1-of-2 free throws with 19.8 seconds left to give Hoquiam a 58-54 lead.

Fry would follow with a bucket on an offensive rebound with 8.7 seconds left followed by Hoquiam guard Ryker Maxfield converting 1-of-2 free throws to put Hoquiam on top 59-56.

The Grizzlies’ inability to put the game away ended up costing them as Monte junior guard Colton Grubb stepped into a three from the elbow and buried it at the buzzer to tie the game at 59-59 in thrilling fashion.

“When coach called the timeout, it was very tense,” Fry said of the lead up to Grubb’s buzzer-beater. “(Monte head coach Shaydon Farmer) called up a great play, a double-screen elevator. (Colton) comes off it and he’s a great shooter. It was crazy, there’s no words.”

Monte held the lead through much of the overtime period until Niemi blocked the shot of what looked like an easy two points for Fry, grabbed the loose ball out of the air and shoved a quick outlet to a sprinting McCoy. The freshman guard converted the breakaway layup for a 70-69 lead with 27.4 seconds remaining.

The Bulldogs brought the ball upcourt and called timeout with 11.2 seconds left to set up a final play.

Monte guard Ryan Weidman took the baseline inbound pass and found Fry at the high post. Fry stepped into his defenders and made a tough leaning bank shot to put Monte up 71-70.

“With how we started the game off, I had a lot of confidence,” said Fry, who scored 15 points in the first half. “It came down to one point. … It was awesome.”

With no timeouts left, Hoquiam quickly got the ball into Niemi, who raced up the floor and shot a contested, out-of-rhythm three that hit off the front rim as time expired.

What followed was Montesano players leaping into the air as the student body rushed the court in celebration.

“It was amazing,” Fry said of hitting the game-winner. “Our whole community is here, the student body. It was crazy with all the energy in the world.”

“This is what high-school sports are all about,” Farmer said. “It’s obviously a lot of fun when you are on the positive side of those and tonight, we’re going home on that positive side. … That was some fun stuff.”

Montesano was led by Fry with a game-high 28 points on 13-of-19 shooting (68%) to go along with 10 rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Caden Grubb (19 points, 7 rebounds, 2 ast.) and Weidman (10 pts., 5 reb., 5 ast., 5 steals) also scored in double figures for Monte, which went 28 of 59 from the field as a team (47%) and made 9-of-15 free throws (60%).

The Grizzlies were led by Niemi with 25 points, four rebounds, five assists and two steals.

McCoy (20 pts., 5 reb., 3 stl., 3 stl.) and Abbott (11 pts., 2 reb., ast., 2 stl.) also scored in double figures for the Grizzlies.

Hoquiam went 25-for-51 from the field (49%) – including 10 of 25 from beyond the arc (40%) – and made 10-of-21 free throws (48%).

Monte outrebounded Hoquiam 35-27, while the Grizzlies had 18 turnovers to 17 for Montesano.

RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Montesano’s Joey Bozich (4) and K.J. McCoy (22) compete for a rebound with Montesano’s Mason Fry during the Bulldogs’ 71-70 overtime victory on Wednesday at Montesano High School.

The win had huge ramifications in the race for the 1A Evergreen League title.

With the win, Montesano keeps its hopes of a league crown alive as the Bulldogs remain tied with Elma for the top spot in the league.

“It’s obviously very huge for us,” Farmer said. “We want to win all our games, but to get a massive league win against a team like that, I don’t care if it’s league or not, it’s a good win regardless.”

The loss means if Hoquiam is to finish as one of the league’s top two playoff seeds, it will need some help.

The Grizzlies are currently tied for third place with Rochester in the league standings.

Hoquiam hosts Tenino while Montesano will play at Rochester in league play on Friday.

Both games are scheduled to start at 6:45 p.m.

Hoquiam 10 14 20 15 11 – 70

Montesano 22 13 6 18 12 – 71

Scoring: Hoquiam – Niemi 25, McCoy 20, Abbott 11, Bozich 9, Maxfield 5. Montesano – Fry 28, Ca. Grubb 19, Weidman 10, Co. Grubb 9, Bruland 3, Gunter 2.