The Big Sky League champion Dufur High Rangers (22-3) came a win short of advancing to the 2024 Class 1A boys basketball state tournament.
Dufur, in the playoffs for the first time in four years, were seeking a state tourney berth for the first time in 20 years. The No. 5-ranked Rangers had the momentum of a 19-game win streak and home court advantage in a second-round playoff matchup against the No. 12-ranked Crosshill Christian High Eagles (21-6). Crosshill had beat the Rangers in their last state playoff appearance in 2020 and did so again Feb. 23, in an 87-83 overtime thriller.
The standing-room-only crowd and supportive home atmosphere was not lost on Coach Hollie Darden.
“One of the things that led to the excitement was having the entire community coming in to watch our fun group of kids playing basketball,” Darden said. “Obviously, the fans were very supportive, and it was another electric environment for the kids to play in, which was a pretty cool deal for them.
“A few small things here and there make a big difference in a close game and obviously there were a variety of different things that could’ve allowed us to come out on top. It always hurts whenever you have a group of guys in the locker room that were committed to all the things we bought into as a team in terms of defense and sharing the ball.”
The Rangers overcame a six-point fourth quarter deficit with two minutes left and sent the game into overtime when senior JJ Johnston (20 points) sank a jumper in the lane, tying it 76-76 with 17 seconds left.
The senior twin brothers of Ben (32 points) and Kyler Hemelstrand (27 points) hit 3-point jumpers on back-to-back possessions, putting the Eagles up 82-76 with 1:52 left. The Eagles then extended the margin to their largest of the game at 85-78 with 1:04 remaining in overtime.
The Rangers came back, and Johnson’s 3-pointer from the top of the arc made it 86-83 with 16.3 seconds left. An Eagle free throw extended the margin to 87-83.
It marked the final game of the basketball careers of seniors Johnston, Olsen Meanus, Samuel Radcliffe, and Cody Phillips.
The Rangers advanced to the second round with a 73-47 Feb. 20 home win against Triangle Lake. Junior Jacob Kent scored 16 points to lead Dufur; he also had 20 points against Crosshill.
Darden said, “At the end of the day, we did a lot of great things this season and we won the district title for the first time since 2009. … We did everything the right way and unfortunately, there’s a winner and a loser in a close game. Our goal was to come out and play well and give the best effort of the season.”
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