Boys basketball: Huge comeback highlights weekend for Vaqueros
Robert Perea, The Fernley Reporter
When his team trailed Huntington Beach by 16 at halftime last Thursday night in the second game of the Biggest Little Showcase at Hug High School, Fernley boys basketball coach Cade Knutson wasn’t so much worried about winning or losing.
With nearly everything going against them, Knutson told his team the game was going to go one of two ways – either they were going to get blown out, or they were going to compete.
What came next was something Knutson called arguably the most exciting game he’s been part of at the high school level.
The Vaqueros trailed by as many as 19 before rallying from behind to force overtime, then won the game on a long buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Sheldon Jacobson.
“I think that was one of the best wins we’ve had in the last three years,” Knutson said. “The only win that even come close to it for me is when we beat Elko for the regional championship game, which was an entirely different game because we controlled that game for the whole time.”
The Vaqueros went to the locker room trailing by 16 in a game where everything was going Huntington Beach’s way.
“They beat us too every loose ball, they were killing us on the glass, they were making everything,” Knutson said. “We were either going to get blown out and the game was going to go from 16 to 30 within a few minutes, or we were going to compete. We just started competing hard.”
The Oilers answered every Fernley run in the third quarter and still led by 12 going to the fourth, but then the elevation and the pace of the game finally favored Fernley. The Vaqueros took the lead with less than a minute left in regulation, only to see Huntington Beach’s Jamil House make a layup just before the buzzer to send the game to overtime.
The game was still tied when the Vaqueros got the ball with about 10 seconds remaining. After a timeout, Jacobson took the ball just across halfcourt and hit a 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded for the 70-67 win.
“Really proud of him, really excited for him to ultimately put the stamp on what is the best comeback that I’ve been a part of at the high school level,” Knutson said.
The Vaqueros collected two other wins in the tournament, beating Incline 62-34 in the first game Wednesday night and Hug 76-57 Friday night.
In the final game of the weekend, the Vaqueros lost 67-48 to St. Bonaventure (Ventura, Calif.)
The Vaqueros continue their tough early-season schedule with three road games this week: A visit to Bishop Manogue at 6 p.m. Thursday, at Spanish Springs at 6:30 p.m. Friday, and at South Tahoe at 7 p.m. Saturday.
