WARDEN — Dreyton Martinez struggled with his shot for much of the game, but came up with the bucket when it mattered as he drained a 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded to lift Warden to the 50-47 win over Cascade on Tuesday night.

“I didn’t shoot well the whole game, but for them to want the ball in my hands for that last shot is humbling to me,” Martinez said. “They played great down the stretch. Getting my guys going is always the first thing, but when they need me, I’ll deliver.”

The Cougars struggled to find looks early in the game, finding themselves in an early eight-point hole at the end of the first at 16-8. The offense picked up a bit in the second as Warden trimmed into the Kodiak lead. A late shot by the Cougars cut the deficit to five as the teams headed to the locker room with the score at 26-21.

Warden was able to pick up some heat from beyond the arc in the third quarter, hitting four 3s and tying the game at 37 apiece with just over 27 seconds remaining in the period. Knotted up going into the fourth, the Cougars took their first lead at 40-37 on a three from Tyson Wall to begin the fourth quarter.

Cascade retook the lead with around six minutes to play at 45-44, with Warden able to even the game again at 45 near the four-minute mark. The score would remain tied at 45 until a Kaden Skone layup gave Warden back the lead at 47-45 with 1:35 remaining.

Still holding a two-point lead, the Cougars looked to burn clock with a five-second difference between shot clock and game clock. With :14 on the clock, Cascade managed to knock the ball away near half court, breaking away for a layup to tie the game at 47-47 with 10 seconds to play.

Warden head coach Wes Richins opted against the timeout after the ref missed his first one as the Cougars drove down with time ticking away. Kaden Skone found Martinez on the perimeter in front of the Cougar bench. After pulling his defender in the air with the pump fake, Martinez took the hop step into the three ball as time expired for the win.

Kaden Skone finished with nine points, 10 rebounds, three assists and a block. Ryan Mendoza also finished with nine for the Cougars, chipping in three boards. Ayzaiah Pruneda grabbed seven boards off the bench, adding three points and a pair of assists as well. Martinez finished with six.

Martinez said after the game he was grateful for the trust his team had in him at the end.

Warden students and fans donned purple and gold on Tuesday night, in honor of Kobe Bryant’s passing on Sunday. Hitting the game-winner the same night only seems fitting. Martinez said Bryant had one of the biggest impacts on him through his play and mentality on the court.

“No matter what, he wanted the ‘W,’ so for him passing that was a big thing for me, like Jordan passing,” Martinez said. “I think he had a really big part in all our lives on the basketball scene.”

Next up for the Cougars is a trip to face Kiona-Benton on Friday at 7:30 p.m.