It was a battle down to the final quarter in Friday night’s Oconto Falls and Suring contest.
However, Oconto Falls (1-1, 0-0 Bay Conference) prevailed with a stunning 48-46 win against the visiting Eagles after Suring (0-2, 0-0 Marinette & Oconto Conference) held a three-point lead after three periods.
With about 10 seconds remaining in the game and the score tied at 46, the Eagles had possession, but Oconto Falls junior Wesley Brabant got a steal for the decisive game-winning layup.
“He made a great defensive play and made a layup at the buzzer,” said Oconto Falls coach Kirk Hirst.
Senior 6-foot-8 center Michael Fifield, who scored a team-high 20 points, kept the Panthers in the game. With the team down by nine in the third period, he made two 3-point shots to put the game within three. In the fourth period, he tied the game with 20 seconds remaining when he snagged an offensive rebound.
“Fifield gave us that spark when we needed it. He had two huge 3-pointers in the game,” Hirst said.
Suring coach James Keeffe said his team had difficulty containing Fifield, and his two shots beyond the arc came as a surprise.
“He was a tough guard for us because of his height. We don’t have anyone near his size,” Keeffe said. “Mike also had two big threes in a row, and we did not expect that.”
Fifield and Tyler Hagermeier had the most rebounds for the Panthers with six; Jack Huberty had five.
Both coaches praised their teams for battling until the final moments of the game.
“I was proud of their effort,” Keeffe said. “I told them that we needed to learn from this experience and get better … I have to give Oconto Falls credit for making plays and shots when they needed them.”
“I am so proud of the guys, they never gave up,” Hirst said.
Suring 11 11 16 8 — 46
Oconto Falls 14 8 13 13 — 48
Suring (46)
Bob Mahoney 23, Creo VanBellinger 8, Josh Vollmar 8, John Christensen 5, Mark Runge 2
Oconto Falls (48)
Michael Fifield 20, Jordan Koppa 8, Tyler Hagermeier 8, Jack Huberty 5, Wes Brabant 4, Michael Manns 3
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