Mules upset Bear Creek; start state tourney play today versus Adna

The Mule Train heads to Spokane for the state tournament today (Thursday) following a last second (literally) victory over the Grizzlies of Bear Creek High School last Friday in Mt.Vernon.

The Mules went into the game against the District 1/2 Champion Grizzlies as huge underdogs, with many in the online community (bsports.org) considering Bear Creek a lock to reach Spokane.

Wyatt Parker opened the game with a short jumper in the lane to give the Mules a quick 2-0 lead, but the Mules quickly found themselves trailing 5-2 after a pair of Grizzly baskets.

The rest of the quarter and most of the second, however, belonged to the Mules. With just under two and a half minutes to go in the first half, Parker drained a three from the left wing to cap a 24-6 run to give the Mules their largest lead of the game at 26-11.

The Grizzlies closed out the first half on a 6-0 run to put the Mules up 26-17 at the break, and after outscoring the Mules 19-12 in the third, the Grizzlies cut the Mules lead down to two going into the final frame.

The teams traded baskets through the fourth, and the Grizzlies held the lead with less than three minutes to go. The Mules answered with a basket of their own to tie the game at 44 apiece.

On the ensuing possession, the Grizzlies scored a lay-in to go up 46-44 with less than a minute remaining.

With the Mules’ season resting on the next possession, Peter Weiler nailed his biggest shot of the year, a fall-away five-foot jumper from the right baseline with defenders in his face to knot the game 46-46.

With 30 seconds left and the shot clock turned off, the Grizzlies were in a seemingly win-win situation where, at worst, they’d be looking at overtime if their final shot missed the mark.

However, with 10 seconds to go, a Bear Creek guard attempted to drive from the right wing and lost control of the ball at the free throw line. The Mules came away with the ball and began racing the other way for the game winner. The pressured lay in rolled off the iron into the waiting arms of Eli McElroy who put up a put back as time was expiring. The shot rimmed out, and it looked as though the game were headed for overtime, but officials called a foul on a Grizzly defender who knocked McElroy to the floor while trying to block the shot.

Following a pair of Bear Creek timeouts, McElroy toed the line to shoot two free throws. The first attempt was off the mark, but McElroy calmly sank the second to give the Mules a 47-46 lead with one second left, and that wasn't enough time for the Grizzlies to respond.

Parker led the Mules with 18 points and five rebounds with Weiler adding 13 points and five boards. John Chambers contributed seven points and pulled in five rebounds. Lars Blix added three points as he struggled to find his range, and Shane Souvenir hit a big third quarter three-pointer to push the Mules’ lead from three to six. Brett Chaput scored two and McElroy scored his only point with the game-winning free throw.

With the victory, the Mules earned their first trip back to the state tournament in Spokane since 2008. They will face a familiar foe in the Adna Pirates at 7:15 tonight (Thursday). The Pirates have managed to top the Mules in all three meetings this year, winning by five at Adna, 13 at Cathlamet, and four at Centralia, but the Mules look to avoid a repeat and come out ahead when it matters most.