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CLACKAMAS -- The sting of an early exit will last for a short while, but there's no mistaking what's important.
This was a season to remember for the Roseburg High boys basketball team.
The Indians may have come up empty in the Class 4A state playoffs, but they certainly made it interesting. Roseburg rallied from a 10-point deficit in the third quarter to force overtime Wednesday evening, only to drop a 65-60 decision to Clackamas.
The Cavaliers (18-7 overall) move on to face Canby Saturday in the third round of the playoffs. Roseburg (22-4) finished with a regular-season record for wins and a share of the Southern Oregon Conference title.
"I think when you look at the season -- which is hard for us right now because it was a tough loss -- I think these kids ... were really united," Tribe coach Mike Pardon said. "They worked hard in the offseason and were very unselfish kids and players. With all those things mixed together we had a good season."
Roseburg was hoping to rediscover some of the magic that helped the Indians get off to a 15-game winning streak to start the season. After dropping two of their final four games, Roseburg came into Wednesday's playoff hoping to prove itself.
"We came up short tonight but we played extremely hard," Pardon said. "I think this is a team the community can be extremely proud of. We would've liked to win tonight and it hurts, but you've got to give these kids a lot of credit for their effort.
"That's the good thing about this team. They're unselfish and they play extremely hard."
Never was that more evident than the fourth quarter. After Clackamas opened up a 53-43 lead late in the third period, the Indians slowly began to chip away at the deficit. Roseburg lost Steven Davis to foul trouble with three minutes left in the game, but promptly cut the lead to 56-55 on a basket from Jeff Stricklin. After the Cavaliers ran more than a minute off the clock only to turn the ball over, Isaiah Smith hit a short jumper to gave the Tribe its first lead since early in the second quarter.
Nick Eldridge, who led Clackamas with 19 points, tied the game at 57-57 on a free throw, and Roseburg turned the ball over on its ensuing possession. The Cavaliers held out for the last shot, but Eldridge came up short on his 3-point attempt.
"I was really happy with our courage," Pardon said. "We played hard and we stayed with it. We didn't give up ... our kids just rallied, made plays and made the gap up."
Stricklin put the Tribe up 59-57 at the start of overtime, but consecutive turnovers led to a dunk from Dan Daws that tied the game up. A David Shriver free throw gave Roseburg a one-point lead with just over two minutes left, but Karson Koivisto's lay-in put the Cavs back on top to stay. A pair of misses in the final minute by the Indians allowed Clackamas to close the game out at the free-throw line.
"Our kids just gave it their all," Pardon said. "We just came up on the short end."
Stricklin led Roseburg with 19 points and Smith added 10. Koivisto added 18 for Clackamas, taking over for Eldridge after the Tribe shut the long-distance threat down in the second half.
The Indians will graduate eight seniors from this year's squad, each of whom played a key role in Roseburg's rally. Smith and Davis were first-team, all-Southern Oregon Conference selections and also made the all-defensive team. Stricklin and Myles Walkup were each honorable mention selections, while Jacob Schott, Ben Malone, John Malone and David Shriver each showed flashes of brilliance this season.
Roseburg does return Eric Thompson, who was a third-team selection in the conference, along with varsity mainstays Brett Stephens and Jordan Snook.
"Every team we got beat by was a very good, quality team," Pardon said. "That says a lot about these kids."
ROSEBURG (60) -- Jeff Stricklin 19, Smith 10, Davis 9, Thompson 6, B. Malone 5, J. Malone 5, Schott 3, Walkup 2, Shriver 1. Totals 23-38 9-16 60.
CLACKAMAS (65) -- Nick Eldridge 19, Koivisto 18, Kintz 10, Daw 9, Ochs 7, Simpson 2, Smith. Totals 25-42 11-20 65.
Roseburg 10 24 11 12 3 -- 60
Clackamas 14 24 15 4 8 -- 65
3-Point Shots -- Roseburg 5 (Stricklin, B. Malone, J. Malone, Smith, Schott), Clackamas 4 (Eldridge 4). Total Fouls -- Roseburg 16, Clackamas 14. Fouled Out -- Davis. Rebounds -- Roseburg 14 (Davis 4); Clackamas 18.
This was a season to remember for the Roseburg High boys basketball team.
The Indians may have come up empty in the Class 4A state playoffs, but they certainly made it interesting. Roseburg rallied from a 10-point deficit in the third quarter to force overtime Wednesday evening, only to drop a 65-60 decision to Clackamas.
The Cavaliers (18-7 overall) move on to face Canby Saturday in the third round of the playoffs. Roseburg (22-4) finished with a regular-season record for wins and a share of the Southern Oregon Conference title.
"I think when you look at the season -- which is hard for us right now because it was a tough loss -- I think these kids ... were really united," Tribe coach Mike Pardon said. "They worked hard in the offseason and were very unselfish kids and players. With all those things mixed together we had a good season."
Roseburg was hoping to rediscover some of the magic that helped the Indians get off to a 15-game winning streak to start the season. After dropping two of their final four games, Roseburg came into Wednesday's playoff hoping to prove itself.
"We came up short tonight but we played extremely hard," Pardon said. "I think this is a team the community can be extremely proud of. We would've liked to win tonight and it hurts, but you've got to give these kids a lot of credit for their effort.
"That's the good thing about this team. They're unselfish and they play extremely hard."
Never was that more evident than the fourth quarter. After Clackamas opened up a 53-43 lead late in the third period, the Indians slowly began to chip away at the deficit. Roseburg lost Steven Davis to foul trouble with three minutes left in the game, but promptly cut the lead to 56-55 on a basket from Jeff Stricklin. After the Cavaliers ran more than a minute off the clock only to turn the ball over, Isaiah Smith hit a short jumper to gave the Tribe its first lead since early in the second quarter.
Nick Eldridge, who led Clackamas with 19 points, tied the game at 57-57 on a free throw, and Roseburg turned the ball over on its ensuing possession. The Cavaliers held out for the last shot, but Eldridge came up short on his 3-point attempt.
"I was really happy with our courage," Pardon said. "We played hard and we stayed with it. We didn't give up ... our kids just rallied, made plays and made the gap up."
Stricklin put the Tribe up 59-57 at the start of overtime, but consecutive turnovers led to a dunk from Dan Daws that tied the game up. A David Shriver free throw gave Roseburg a one-point lead with just over two minutes left, but Karson Koivisto's lay-in put the Cavs back on top to stay. A pair of misses in the final minute by the Indians allowed Clackamas to close the game out at the free-throw line.
"Our kids just gave it their all," Pardon said. "We just came up on the short end."
Stricklin led Roseburg with 19 points and Smith added 10. Koivisto added 18 for Clackamas, taking over for Eldridge after the Tribe shut the long-distance threat down in the second half.
The Indians will graduate eight seniors from this year's squad, each of whom played a key role in Roseburg's rally. Smith and Davis were first-team, all-Southern Oregon Conference selections and also made the all-defensive team. Stricklin and Myles Walkup were each honorable mention selections, while Jacob Schott, Ben Malone, John Malone and David Shriver each showed flashes of brilliance this season.
Roseburg does return Eric Thompson, who was a third-team selection in the conference, along with varsity mainstays Brett Stephens and Jordan Snook.
"Every team we got beat by was a very good, quality team," Pardon said. "That says a lot about these kids."
ROSEBURG (60) -- Jeff Stricklin 19, Smith 10, Davis 9, Thompson 6, B. Malone 5, J. Malone 5, Schott 3, Walkup 2, Shriver 1. Totals 23-38 9-16 60.
CLACKAMAS (65) -- Nick Eldridge 19, Koivisto 18, Kintz 10, Daw 9, Ochs 7, Simpson 2, Smith. Totals 25-42 11-20 65.
Roseburg 10 24 11 12 3 -- 60
Clackamas 14 24 15 4 8 -- 65
3-Point Shots -- Roseburg 5 (Stricklin, B. Malone, J. Malone, Smith, Schott), Clackamas 4 (Eldridge 4). Total Fouls -- Roseburg 16, Clackamas 14. Fouled Out -- Davis. Rebounds -- Roseburg 14 (Davis 4); Clackamas 18.
