Senior Danil Olson scored nine of his game-high 21 points in a pivotal fourth quarter to help the Roseburg boys basketball team fight off Grants Pass for a 65-56 victory in a Southwest Conference game at Robertson Memorial Gymnasium Friday night.
Roseburg (5-10; 2-2 SWC) overcame a slow start and outscored Grants Pass 16-4 in the second quarter for a 31-23 lead at halftime.
The Indians stretched the lead to 10 points in the third quarter and held their largest lead of the game when they took a 50-38 lead with 7:13 left to play in regulation.
Just when RHS seemed to be headed to a comfortable win, Grants Pass (5-11; 1-3) ratcheted up the defensive pressure and went on a 10-0 to get within two points with five minutes to play.
“We definitely had some composure issues down the stretch. These guys haven’t been in that situation a lot, so they kind of got a little nervous and a little tight,” said Roseburg coach Jordan Humphreys.
Senior Dylan Neufeld hit a 3-pointer with 2:48 remaining to get the Cavemen within 54-53, but that’s as close at G.P. could get.
Roseburg finished the game on an 11-3 run to hold off the Cavers.
Neufeld, the leading scorer in the Southwest Conference, netted 13 points before fouling out for Grants Pass. The 6-foot guard had been averaging 18.4 points per game.
Olson scored nine of Roseburg’s final 15 points, helping the Indians avoid the late-game collapse. His 21 points tied his season-high.
“I just had to lock back in and trust the process that we do everyday in practice and it really came through,” said Olson. “The conditioning (coach Jordan Humphreys) has us go through, it helped me have an extra gear that I could hit and I’m just happy I could help my team get the win”
Mykah Mendoza chipped in 15 points for Roseburg and junior guard Boston Williams set a new season-high with 10 points.
The Roseburg boys are now alone in third place in the Southwest Conference standings and trail second place North Medford by a game.
Up next, the Indians will visit North Medford, which lost to South Medford 67-39 on Friday, for a conference game on Saturday at 3 p.m.
GRANTS PASS (56) — Dylan Neufeld 13, Isley 10, Alderson 3, Bennett 6, Gladbach, Polen 4, Jessee, McClean 3, Sawyer, Brandes 7, Morgan 10. Totals 21 6-15 56.
ROSEBURG (65) — Danil Olson 21, Mendoza 15, Stedman 5, Wilder, Pike 5, Williams 10, Fullerton 6, Six 3. Totals 22 13-18 65.
Grants Pass;19;4;15;18;—;56
Roseburg;15;16;14;20;—;65
3-Point Shots — G.P. 7 (Isley 2, Brandes 2, Alderson 1, Polen 1, McLean 1). Rose. 8 (Mendoza 2, Olson 2, Stedman 1, Pike 1, Williams 1, Fullerton 1). Total Fouls — G.P. 17, Rose. 16. Fouled Out — Neufeld, Bennett, Williams.
