Sanger High School’s Luke Dillon scored 20 points and helped guide the Apaches to a 48-47 win over Buchanan in the second round of the Clovis Elk Tournament.
Sanger and Buchanan traded the lead frequently in the second half and as both teams looked for an edge, the physicality of play increased. The fourth quarter was littered with contentious fouls that were met with searing criticism on one side of the crowd and applause on the other.
Buchanan committed fourteen second-half fouls and Kendall Oliver fouled out late in the game.
Sanger capitalized on the fouls and scored 64% of their fourth-quarter points from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter – including the game-clinching shot from Dillon.
With the game tied at 47 and under twenty seconds to play, Buchanan inbounded the ball on the far side of the court and had two chances at taking the lead – but the Bears missed both.
The rebound was hard-fought and could’ve gone to either team, but Sanger called for a timeout that was granted by the referees. It left the Apaches needing to run the full length of the court in the game’s remaining 3.6 seconds on the clock.
The message in the timeout from Buchanan’s head coach Brooks Malm was simple: “don’t foul.” As the Apaches raced down the court, a whistle blew, and the call went against Buchanan. The foul sent Dillon to the line where he made 1-of-2 shots giving Sanger the lead they needed to secure the win.
Charlie Barnes was Buchanan’s top-scorer with 21 points, including a 15-point second half that kept Buchanan in the hunt, even when their foul troubles gave back what little lead the Bears could muster.
With this loss, the Bears drop to 8-7, end a three-game win streak, and fall further behind Clovis West and Clovis North who are at the top of the TRAC standings. The Bear’s first league game is scheduled for Jan. 10 against Clovis East.