For The Dalles Riverhawks, there weren’t one or two contributors that came up clutch against Hermiston, it was Henry Lee, Dakota Murr, Javier Hernandez, Oscar Fernandez, Josh Nisbet and Jack Bonham who gave this group the necessary spark to pick up a 91-85 triumph Friday in Columbia River Conference hoops action at Kurtz Gym.
“That’s what is great about this team. We have other guys here making plays,” Murr said. “Guys just come in and get a rebound, make a shot, play tough defense, set a screen, whatever it takes. When we play our roles, we can compete with everybody.”
Hermiston had the hot hand in the opening half, building a double-digit cushion of 29-18 after one quarter, and The Dalles responded with a 25-16 spurt to make it a 45-43 contest at the break.
Battling back from a double-digit deficit to get to within two points, the Riverhawks carried that burst into the third quarter as Jacob Hernandez scored 10 points, Murr dropped five, Fernandez had four and Nisbet hit a basket for a 21-15 run and a 64-60 lead.
Hermiston fell behind by seven and eight points in the fourth quarter but kept things close with Ryne Andreason knocking down 11 points and Cesar Ortiz, who drilled four first-quarter 3-pointers, adding five.
Down the stretch, Bonham canned a 3-pointer, Murr had three baskets, went 10 of 10 from the line, and tacked on a steal and a layup, Lee converted 3 of 4 free throws, and kept a possession alive with a rebound off a missed free throw, which the Hawks turned into a pair of free throws.
TD coach Nathan Morris said his team didn’t play perfect down the stretch, mentioning a stretch in the last minute where Lee closed out on a 3-point attempt, fouling the shooter.
“But, he came back and made his free throws, and then on a missed free throw, he gets a rebound that was absolutely the play of the game,” Morris said. “That is how you bounce back from a mistake. That’s what sports is all about. When you make a mistake, you don’t hang your head, you step up and find a way to go make a difference. Those are the lessons that translate to life. That to me, was one of the more special moments of the year.”
All told, The Dalles finished with 30 field goals, nine 3-pointers, and made good on 22 of 27 free throws, 21 of 24 in the second half.
Murr had seven first-half points and tacked on 26 in the second stanza, 21 in the fourth period, for his game-high 28 points.
Jacob Hernandez followed with 18 points, Nisbet poured in 17, Fernandez stepped in and scored 13, and Lee went for five points.
Ortiz reeled off 27 points, Andreason had 18, Andrew James tacked on 13, and Jordan Ramirez ended up with eight points for the No. 18 Bulldogs (7-11 overall, 2-2 league), who tallied 27 field goals, 10 3-pointers, and shot 21 of 27 on free throws.
With the win, No. 19 TD (10-8, 2-2) is now one game behind first-place Pendleton in the Columbia River Conference standings with, five left to play.
Morris is hoping to bottle up this performance for a mad dash to the finish line.
“We have Pendleton here on Tuesday,” Morris said. “They have been the team that nobody has quite been able to knock off. The biggest difference with them is confidence. They know how to win, and they go in with big expectations. I think we are starting to get that same level of confidence. Our kids are starting to realize what they are capable of.”
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