3A Prep Boys Basketball: Kelso's furious comeback falls short at Mountain View
Miracle? No dice. — Iddings scores 26 for Scots in 62-59 loss to Thunder
Drew Lawson for Blast Zone Media
VANCOUVER — Fans inside the Thunder Dome at Mountain View High School had settled in for what they thought was already a long winter’s blowout by the third quarter of Friday’s matchup between Mountain View and Kelso. Instead, those in attendance were subjected to an onslaught in the fourth quarter by the previously sleepy Hilanders that brought the visitors within three points of overcoming a 25-point second-half deficit in a stirring 62-59 loss to the Thunder.
The 3A Greater St. Helens League matchup seemed like it could be a mismatch on paper, with Mountain View coming in at 8-4 and Kelso holding just three wins so far this season. What’s more, the Hilanders had been beaten by a combined 58 points in their previous two games.
And while Kelso battled through solid offensive sets and aggressive, if not overcommitted, defense, the mismatch appeared to be playing out as expected early on. Through two and a half quarters the Thunder built up a commanding lead. And with 5:21 left in the third quarter the hosts seemed to have a death rip on the contest with a 47-22 lead in hand.
That’s when Kelso’s defense locked in, and almost created a miracle on wood.
The Hilanders outscored Mountain View 37-15 in the games’ final 13 minutes to make a run at a much-needed victory. That effort included a 22-4 tally in favor of Kelso in the fourth quarter.
Alas, the Hilanders’ 25-point deficit proved to be too large to overcome, and Kelso was forced to put its Comeback Kids belt back in the travel bag for another day.
The points scored down the stretch will try to steal the spotlight, but it was the points that Kelso didn’t allow that truly impressed its coach.
“Not that we weren’t playing hard, but we were able to find, I don’t know what the exact number is, but we got some points off our defense,” Kelso head coach Joe Kinch said about the late run.
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