After falling to No. 7-ranked Imbler on Friday night 60-59 and breaking its eight-game winning streak, Joseph, ranked No. 4, took out its frustration of the previous night of Wallowa, winning 68-58 on the Cougars’ court Saturday.

“Against Imbler we didn’t execute our offense well and I am very happy that the team came out strong tonight and played well,” said JHS head coach Ron Lathrop.

WHS (6-6 overall, 2-4 Old Oregon League) got the good start it knew would be needed, tying the game at 15 on a half court buzzer-beater by Patrick Green to close out the first quarter, but it was the Eagles (11-3, 5-1) that had the big finish and big-game performance by one of its team leaders.

Joe Dawson scored 31 points and pulled down 14 rebounds, which helped JHS outscored Wallowa 39-23 in the second and third quarters on its way to the win.

“It’s just one of those nights where I felt like I did a good job of shooting,” Dawson said. “The next night I might not score as many points, but as long as we win, that’s all that matters.”

With 58.5 seconds remaining in the game, the Cougars crawled back into the game and cut Jo-Hi’s once 16 point lead to three at 61-58. Wallowa got back in the contest due to a timely steal and block from Kaleb Oveson, which led to two layups by Patrick Green on the other end of the court.

“They shot really well tonight,” Dawson said. “Patrick, Kaleb and Kainoa are all great shooters and I have to give them a lot of credit for never quitting and getting back in the game against us.”

On the ensuing WHS possession the referees made a very questionable over-and-back call on the Cougs, which gave the Eagles the ball and all it needed to close out the game.

Joseph decided to feed the post on its next three possessions, resulting in Tristan Patton hitting a jump shot and going to the free throw line, where he hit one of two attempts. Patton’s late-game offense extended the Eagle lead to 64-58 with 40 seconds left on the game clock.

The Cougars had two more chances in the final seconds of the game to close the gap in the score, but turned the ball over both times down court, which Dawson and Patton converted into points at the Eagles’ basket.

Wallowa was forced to try and score without Green and his 28 points, because with 45.3 seconds left in the game he committed his fifth foul and had to take a seat on the bench for the remainder of the period.

Helping to pace the way for Jo-Hi was Patton, who finished with 14 points . Junior Jesse Bird added nine points, four assists and two steals.

The Cougars were also led by Kainoa Delatori’s 11 points, all of which were scored in the second half.

Oveson finished with eight points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Joseph plays in its fourth consecutive road game on Friday against OOL opponent Pine Eagle (4-7, 3-2). Varsity action starts at approximately 5:30 p.m.

Wallowa also continues in league action on the road Friday against top-ranked Imbler (9-3, 6-0). Tip off is at approximately 7:30 p.m.

Joseph falls in OT to Imbler and out of first

The first period saw the Eagles play some of its most uninspired basketball of the season. Jo-Hi was outrebounded, outhustled and flat-footed on defense as Joseph fell by a slim 60-59 margin in the battle of the undefeated in the OOL. Four field goals was all JHS could muster up for offense in the first quarter.

“We didn’t do as well as we had hoped coming into the game,” Dawson said. “Playing on their home court, and dealing with their loud crowd made it tough and hopefully we can get them next time.”

Things looked grim for Joseph in the first period as Imbler picked apart the Eagles’ press and led by 16-8 heading into the second quarter.

The timeout between quarters and a few words from head coach Ron Lathrop must have been just what the Eagles needed because in the second quarter, Joseph got back in the game with layups by Jacob DeBoie, Jake Vanderzanden and Dawson. Lane Bailey capped off an 8-0 run in the second with a mid-range jumper as the buzzer sounded, giving the Eagles a 26-24 lead at the half.

The score remained close in the third, the teams tied at 34, until Imbler broke away for its first of two runs in the final minutes of the game. Bailey broke an 8-0 Panther run with another three-point buzzer beater at the end of the third, bringing the Eagles within five points, 42-37.

Joseph pulled even again at 52, following a baseline drive by Dawson and the free throw to complete the three-point play with less than a minute remaining in the contest.

In the second half, JHS trailed by seven points during two separate stretches of the game, but rallied back both times to force the game into overtime.

Imbler opened the overtime with a three-pointer from Denny Cline, but Joseph answered with Dawson hitting a layup and two free throws, tying the score at 59-59 with 38.4 seconds left. The Panthers’ Tim Christensen drove to the basket on the ensuing possession and was fouled, hitting one of two. The Eagles had a chance to win the game on a Bailey fade-away jump shot, but the shot rimmed out as time expired on the clock.

“We didn’t shoot as well as we usually do, but games like this happen,” Dawson said.

Dawson led all scorers with 33 points for JHS. Cline led the way for the Panthers with 19 points.

“We’re looking forward to playing Imbler in our gym in a few weeks because we want to get the win back,” Lathrop said.

The Eagles will have its chance on Feb. 4 when Imbler travels to Joseph.