This season, East Grand Forks Senior High's Chase Grabow hasn't looked much to shoot the 3-pointer.
His coach, Travis Lindgren, said the lack of shots isn't due to a lack of confidence.
Grabow, confidently, hit a key 3-pointer down the stretch to hold off a furious East Grand Forks Sacred Heart rally. His 3-pointer led Senior High to a 57-41 win against the Eagles on Friday night in a game that had its share of floor burns and scrappy play.
Senior High, led by Alex Miller's 17 points, was cruising in the second half, leading the Eagles 39-19 with 11 minutes to go. But the Eagles, fueled by James Yoney's shooting, cut the deficit to 44-37 with 5½ minutes to go.
Yoney's steal and basket cut the Senior High lead to seven and the Eagles clearly had the momentum.
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But Grabow calmly fired in a 3-pointer from the left corner at 4:20 to give the Green Wave a 10-point cushion.
"He looked confident when he shot it," Lindgren said. "That basket shifted the momentum back to us."
The Eagles came within seven points a minute later, but Senior High hit enough free throws and a couple of inside baskets in the final minutes to hold on.
Sacred Heart struggled offensively in the first half, making only one field goal in the game's first 14 minutes. But Yoney (18 points) led the Eagles back in the second half.
"These guys just don't give up," first-year Sacred Heart coach Joe Wasfaret said. "It's the most pleased I've been all season. Our guys were diving for loose balls and doing everything they could to win the game."
Both teams has size up front, but the bulk of the scoring came from the perimeter.
Senior High's top two inside players -- Jim Warmack and Nathan Carlson -- finished with a combined 10 points while Sacred Heart's frontline duo of Austin LeTexier and Brett MacLeod ended with a combined 11 points.
"Our guys on the perimeter stepped up and got into a good rhythm," Lindgren said. "But give Sacred Heart credit for making shots in the second half. Our guys could have been in disarray but they kept their composure and made plays at the end."
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In addition to Miller's 17 points, guard Jordan Osmundson added 12.
Osmundson's baseline drive and basket with 2:49 to go was another key basket, one that gave the Green Wave a 52-41 lead.
Senior High improved to 9-8 while Sacred Heart dropped to 2-9.
"We played well," Lindgren said. "It was a fun game."
