The East Grand Forks Senior High boys basketball team went to its freshman left-handed post for most of Tuesday night's game against Grand Forks Central.
But it was a senior lefty who put the game on ice.
Green Wave guard Jordan Osmundson drained all six of his foul shots in the last 94 seconds, including a pair for the final margin with 13 seconds to go, to seal a 48-45 win over the Knights at the Senior High gymnasium.
"Jordan certainly doesn't lack confidence," said Senior High co-coach Travis Lindgren, whose team improved to 3-2. "He hopes to have the ball in his hands in that situation."
Osmundson, who finished with 11 points, wouldn't allow a Central comeback to take hold.
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Central senior guard Matt Cornell hit a 3-point basket from the right corner with 15 seconds to go to trim Senior High's lead to 46-45.
After a quick foul, Osmundson knocked down both free throws to reclaim the three-point edge.
On Central's final chance, junior guard Sean Norton attempted a step-back 3-pointer from the top of the key that went off the right side of the rim. The Knights grabbed the offensive rebound but a quick, short putback attempt also misfired.
"Offense is what killed us," said Central coach Dan Carlson, whose team dropped to 0-3. "Defensively, we're fine. We should be fine in games in the 40s. Turnovers killed us the whole game. We made poor decisions.
"On the last play, we tried to get Cornell open in the corner like we did on the previous possession. But we got a little mixed up."
It was a close matchup of two talented left-handed big men.
Green Wave 6-foot-6 freshman Jim Warmack finished with 17 points, while Central 6-foot-3 senior Ben Lofgren also ended with 17 points.
"(Jim) is solid," Lindgren said. "He has good footwork, a good work ethic and loves to play. He definitely doesn't play like a freshman. He can be tough to stop with those long arms."
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Lofgren was joined in double figures by guard Ken Smith, who finished with 10.
The tight finish was predictable in a game that featured five ties and five lead changes. Neither team went on a run of more than five points.
But the Green Wave started to pull away late after a key play from Nathan Carlson, who finished with nine points.
Carlson grabbed a defensive rebound and the 6-foot-5 post went coast-to-coast for a 42-37 lead with 3:25 remaining.
Central would trim that lead to two with an offensive putback by Lofgren with 2:39 to go. But Osmundson's foul shots kept the Knights at bay the rest of the way.
"We've done a lot of things well (so far this season)," Carlson said. "But when we've had chances to extend leads or get back into games, we don't make good decisions."
EGF Senior High 48, GF Central 45
Key play: Jordan Osmundson's two free throws for 48-45 lead with 13 seconds left.
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Key player: Jim Warmack, 17 points.
