Kaden Perry delivers one of his four dunks for Battle Ground Tuesday. The 6-foot, 9-inch sophomore finished the game with 15 points before fouling out in the fourth quarter.
Kam Osborn nets two of his 19 points for Prairie against Battle Ground Tuesday.
Brendan Beall’s feet haven’t touched the ground.
The Battle Ground High School junior is still dreaming about his deep 3-pointer in the final seconds of overtime that helped the Tigers defeat Prairie 69-68 Tuesday in Battle Ground.
“It feels crazy, especially against our rivals,” Beall said. “It’s like a movie, almost. Nothing I ever felt before.”
Prairie rallied from eight points down in the final minutes of regulation. Thomas Hapgood nailed a 3-pointer at the buzzer to tie the score at 65-65 and force overtime.
“I’m proud of my teammates for what we did to get back in the game,” Hapgood said. “Just hitting that shot kind of sealed the deal. It was a great feeling. Very exciting.”
Prairie head coach Kyle Brooks felt confident having Hapgood out there if the opportunity presented itself, and the Falcon delivered.
“I told him, ‘Thomas, I need to you to hit a big one if you’re open’ and he did,” Brooks said. “That’s why we put him in. Very proud of him as a senior to be able to do that.”
Although the Tigers were shell shocked, head coach Manny Melo was pleased with the way they responded.
“That’s a rivalry game, right there,” Melo said. “To get up off the canvas and come back and play hard and finish that game. Big players hit big shots. Brendan Beall hit a big one.”
Kaden Perry led Battle Ground with 15 points before fouling out in the fourth quarter. The 6-foot, 9-inch sophomore delivered four slam dunks in the game. Beall, Nathan Millspaugh and Vincent McCormic added 14 points each.
Kam Osborn led Prairie with 19 points. He scored 13 of them in the second half. Aidan Fraly and Bronson King both finished with 15 points.
This rivalry game means a lot to the players, coaches and the fans. Melo told the Tigers about how his high school career ended when Battle Ground lost to Prairie by three points in the district tournament back in 2007.
“I didn’t want these seniors to feel that. This is the last time they’re going to play Prairie,” Melo said. “What a way to go out. At the buzzer three.”
Although the Falcons couldn’t complete the comeback, Brooks couldn’t have been more proud of their effort.
“I know they’re disappointed, but people got their money’s worth. This was a great high school basketball game. It was fun for me to coach,” Brooks said. “There were a couple of times where they could have put us away, but we found a way back. Everyone had to proud of that game.”
