HOPE — Before the start of Tuesday night’s game against Triton Central, the Hauser boys basketball team honored its two seniors, Trey Johnson and Jackson Paradise in their final home game of the season.
However, it wasn’t the perfect senior night that Paradise and Johnson had hoped. The Tigers went on an 11-0 scoring run to close out the game and hand the Jets a 48-43 loss.
“Tonight felt weird that I won’t be able to play on this home court ever again, but it was definitely emotional,” Paradise said. “To be fully honest, I came close to crying out there. I’m very thankful for all the community and all the community support we’ve gotten, especially from myself the past two years in a town that loves its sports. I’m just grateful for the nightly atmosphere and support that they have given us.”
Johnson also reflected of his final time playing on his home court.
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“We all dread the day, but we are also excited at the same time, at least for me and Jackson,” Johnson said. “A lot of adrenaline was going through us. Of course, we wanted to get one on our last game at home, but some things didn’t work. I thought the guys played incredibly hard, but we just didn’t pull this one through.”
The Jets (7-16) led 43-37 after a 3-pointer from Paradise, but Triton Central (4-17) came back with a 5-0 run to cut it to 43-42 with 1:20 left. David Steele then hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with around 40 seconds left to make it 45-43.
A floater from Paradise was no good, and then Hauser was forced to foul. Triton Central converted both free throws to make it 47-43. Paradise then attempt a 3-pointer that was off the mark, and the Tigers grabbed the rebound to seal the win.
“We put ourselves in position to (win), but we just did not make enough plays at the end on either end of the floor,” Hauser coach Joe Sibbitt said. “We had some opportunities to make a couple layups and make a free throw here or there. On the other end, we didn’t get any crucial stops. You might be able to get away with one end or the other, but when you don’t do either, it tough to finish off the games.”
The Jets led 5-3 following a three-point play from Johnson. The rest of the first quarter belonged to the Tigers, who finished out the period on a 14-2 run that was capped off with a triple from Steele at the right corner to lead the Jets 17-7.
Hauser then turned up the intensity in the second with back-to-back 3-pointers from Brock Thalls and Paradise to cut it to 17-13 and quickly force a Triton Central timeout. Out of the timeout, the Jets defense led the way, forcing many turnovers, and with just under four minutes left in the second quarter, Hauser tied the game at 17-17 with a Bryce Bates basket inside.
Another turnover led to a Thalls bucket that gave the Jets a 19-17 lead to force another Tiger timeout. After a free throw by Hauser, Triton Central stopped the momentum with a Steele basket, ending a 13-0 Jet run, but Hauser led 24-21 at halftime.
A back and forth battle ensued to start the second half with the Tigers eventually cutting the deficit to 29-27, but the Jets finished out the third quarter on a 7-2 run that was capped off with Paradise 3-pointer deep behind the arc at the buzzer to make it 36-29 heading into the fourth.
Triton Central cut the lead to 36-34 after a 5-0 run that forced a timeout with 6:12 left to play, setting up the final sequence.
Jackson finished with a team-high 19 points for Hauser, and Johnson added 12. Steele finished with a game-high 22 points for the Tigers.
Sibbitt appreciated his seniors.
“Both of them I’ve enjoyed coaching. Anytime you make it to your senior year, there is a huge level of commitment,” Sibbitt said. “I’ve appreciated their hard work and coachability. I was proud of their effort tonight leading us in scoring. I was hoping we could really get that one for them.”
