Moscow tops Lakeland, forces deciding game
Coeur d'Alene Press | UPDATED 5 years, 9 months AGO
MOSCOW — The Lakeland Hawks went cold in the second half, and the Moscow Bears used a decisive third-quarter spurt to beat the Hawks 75-59 at Bear Den on Friday night to even their best-of-3 series for the 4A Region 1 boys basketball title at one game apiece.
The deciding Game 3 is tonight at 6 at Moscow, with the winner advancing to state, and the loser done for the season.
Moscow (14-9) led 31-27 at halftime, then opened the third quarter with a roughly 15-2 run.
“The second half I felt we had good looks, the shots just weren’t falling,” Lakeland assistant coach Bill Ryan said. “There was some long rebounds, and off they went running.”
Senior guard Ben Zubaly scored 12 of his game-high 28 points in the fourth quarter for Lakeland (18-5), which won Game 1 65-58 on Wednesday at Moscow. Zubaly hit three 3s and had three assists. Carson Seay added 13 points, Abe Munyer six points and six rebounds, Bryce Henry three steals.
Guard Brayden Decker hit all three of his 3-pointers in the second quarter, and led Moscow with 22 points. Ben Postell, a 6-foot-6 post, scored 13 of his 21 points in the first quarter for the Bears.
Ryan said Lakeland’s bigs got into foul trouble in the first half, but said Eric Saasen and Grant Roth came off the bench and played well to keep the Hawks in the game.
By going undefeated in the 4A Inland Empire League, Moscow earned the right to host all three games of the championship series.
Lakeland 13 14 7 25 — 59
Moscow 19 12 20 24 — 75
LAKELAND — Zubaly 28, Seay 13, Henry 0, Ab. Munyer 6, Am. Munyer 2, Haaland 6, Roth 0, Waddington 0, Saasen 4.
MOSCOW — Diego 4, Decker 22, Abendroth 0, Thompson 0, Simpson 4, Colter 6, Postell 21, Buchanan 7, Kitchel 11, Skinner 0.