Weiser rally falls short in 70-59 loss to Fruitland

The Weiser boys basketball team dug deep last Wednesday night to cut Fruitland’s double-digit lead to three points in the final minutes of a thriller in front of the biggest and noisest crowd this season in Tom Falash Gym.

 Despite the gutsy effort by the Wolverines down the stretch, they couldn’t get past the high-powered Grizzlies, who own the No. 1 spot in the Snake River Valley Conference, and lost the game 70-59.

 “I don’t know that anyone matches up well with Fruitland, but I think our kids battled tonight and I’m awfully proud of them,” Weiser coach Brad Adolfson said. 

 It was senior night and the final home game of the season in front of a big crowd, a potential early distraction for the Wolverines. 

 The combination of Fruitland seniors Jake O’Neil and Drake Stampfli put 11 unanswered points on the scoreboard before Weiser could hit a basket. The Grizzlies ran a fast-break offense and also put on an early full-court press on defense.

 “Sometimes on nights like this you tend to lose your focus for that slight minute and against a team like that you can’t lose your focus for any amount of time,” Adolfson said. “I’m proud of our kids efforts and the way they battled back.”

 For Weiser, Caleb Harris and Brett Spencer each got a basket for the Wolverines first four points to cut the Grizzlies lead to nine with the score 13-4 with five minutes left in the first period.

 O’Neil, who led the Grizzlies with 17 points, was able to get position in the post and scored an easy two points. Following a 3-pointer and an offensive rebound and put-back by O’Neil, Fruitland started to pull away with a 12-point lead at 18-6. 

 Weiser’s Ande Jensen hit a 3-pointer from outside to keep the Wolverines within nine points near the end of the first period.

 Fruitland junior Joe Henggeler hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer and the Grizzlies held their biggest lead of the game at the end of the first period with the score 25-11.

 The Grizzlies continued pushing the tempo in the second quarter with a fast transition offense down the floor. 

 Tim Reed contributed four quick points for Weiser and had one of his best nights of the season with 13 points. Teammate Braden Bumgarner also added two baskets for some unanswered points and cut Fruitland’s lead to 31-21 with 3:47 left in the second quarter. 

 O’Neil and Stampi each contributed a basket for Fruitland as the second quarter came to a close. The Grizzlies held a 13-point lead at halftime with the score 40-27.

 The Wolverines and Grizzlies played fairly evenly in the third quarter. Fruitland held on to a 15-point lead at the end of the third quarter 52-37. Four Grizzlies would score in double-digits before the night was over.

 The Wolverines were energized and picked up the pace in the fourth period, scoring five unanswered points before O’Neil hit a 3-pointer to quiet the Weiser crowd. It was the Wolverines best quarter of the game.

 Brett Spencer started the rally for the Wolverines when he hit a basket for two of his eight points in the quarter. Angel Magana followed with a basket and contributed six points in the fourth period. Spencer dialed in and hit a 3-pointer to get the crowd on its feet as Weiser cut Fruitland’s lead to seven points. 

 A minute later, Spencer played clutch basketball when he pulled up beyond the arc and hit another 3-pointer to get Weiser within four points of Fruitland, narrowing the score to 58-54 with 4:26 left in the game. The Wolverines got within three points with a basket by Reed, who had 13 points in the game.

 The Wolverines could not stop the Grizzlies and their ability to work the ball inside to O’Neil or Henggeler in the final minutes. The Grizzlies pushed their lead back to 10 points with a nice feed to Henggeler under the basket. 

 At the final buzzer, the Grizzlies were up 70-59 to pick up their fifth conference win and stay undefeated in the league. (Fruitland beat Homedale on Saturday night to stay undefeated at 6-0.)

 If not for the 11 points Fruitland scored early in the first quarter, Weiser was fairly even in the stats. In total fieldgoals Weiser shot 25-for-50, a respectable 50 percent from the floor. Fruitland shot 24-for-52, a slightly lower percentage. The Wolverines hit four 3-pointers to Fruitland’s five 3-pointers.

 Fruitland by far dominated in free throws, collecting 17 points at the charity strip to Weiser’s five points. Total rebounds were close, with Weiser coming up with 27 to Fruitland’s 29.

 For Weiser, Brett Spencer led the scoring with 14 points, his best game of the season. Tim Reed was the No. 2 scorer with 13 points and 6 rebounds, followed by Braden Bumgarner and Angel Magana, who each contributed nine points. Ande Jensen scored eight points. Hayden Wilson-Palmer added four points and Caleb Harris had two points.

 Weiser (3-3 conference, 11-8 overall) was scheduled to take on Payette on Monday night (Feb. 4) at Payette. The regular season for Weiser ends at Homedale on Friday (Feb. 8).