By Jeremy McDonald
Jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com
SALEM, Ore. The No Quit Warriors just keep finding ways to win games. Friday night was just another day and another opportunity for the Amity squad.
At one point in the second quarter, what would be a 56-55 victory, the Warriors trailed by ten and found themselves down 30-23 by the halftime break.
In typical Amity fashion, they went to work. They pulled within one going to the fourth quarter, had tied things up three minutes into the final frame at 44, and would trade baskets with one another. Neither team could build that separation as Blanchet did earlier in the game to close out the game.
But man, it did make it into some electric television in the PacWest Conference game.
“We came out slow, but we fixed the things that we needed to fix, and we won this game,” said Amity’s Con Coehlo.
For Blanchet, they’re slowly coming together after some early season illness and injuries. It’s something that Cavalier Head Coach Hans Rasmussen is excited to see as the league season progresses ahead of them as they now turn their focus to an equally tough Scio team on Monday.
“We’re getting our game timing back, and the guys are gelling a little bit better. My hope and my thoughts is that they’re going to step into the second half of the season and really move forward,” said Rasmussen. “This was a huge stepping stone. Amity’s a fantastic team, they run fast, and we were able to stay with them for much of the game ahead. They just pulled it out at the end, and they won a great game.”
Entering the final minute, the final thirty seconds actually, of the game, the Warriors saw Coehlo hit a massive three with about 20 seconds to hand Amity a 56-55 lead. In the heat of the moment, Coehlo didn’t think much about it through the chaos of the cheering crowd and the chaos on the court. All he and the rest of the Warriors thought was to stop Blanchet.
It was something they were able to do as the Cavaliers sent up a shot from three in hopes for the win at the buzzer. It was blocked to help ice the Warriors’ victory. Their sixth-straight.
“I thought it was just another shot…(The block) was huge (Austin) Carrasco blocked…game-winning block,” Coehlo said. “We got to come out with a lot of energy and play good defense and do what we need to do.”
Amity will host Santiam Christian on Monday.
Coehlo would come in clutch in late in the game, but until his shot with 20 seconds remaining,
Photos By Jeremy McDonald
