Wolfpack take a bite out of Pirates in OT thriller

Having more height than your opponent can be advantageous in the game of basketball.  So can speed.  And it can level out the playing field.  Kam Brown's spinning lay-up with 12 seconds left in overtime lifted Laingsburg to a 30-29 victory over Pewamo-Westphalia Thursday night.  Despite being out-rebounded 32-13, the Wolfpack (4-2; 3-0 CMAC) played hard-nosed, in-your-face defense and forced the Pirates (2-3; 1-2 CMAC) into a disjointed offense.  Laingsburg jumped out to a 15-7 lead after one quarter, and prompted questions about long layoffs between games being a big deal for P-W (the Pirates hadn't played in 3 weeks).  But they came storming back, cutting the lead to 2 in the second before the 'Pack scored the final 5 points of the quarter.  It was 22-15 at the half.  A total of 6 points were scored in the 3rd quarter, as both teams clamped down, not wanting to give the other an inch.  It remained close late into the 4th, and it seemed like Laingsburg might seal it away.  But a missed free throw gave P-W one last chance.  Garrett Trierwieler hit a game-tying 3 pointer with seconds left to force OT.  And that momentum carried over into the extra stanza when Bryce Thelen made a lay-up 1:30 into the quarter, giving the Pirates their first lead of the game, 28-26.  Gabe Hawes of the Wolfpack hit jumper to tie it; then Thelen went 1 of 2 at the charity stripe and P-W was up again but only by 1, 29-28.  Then Brown (who had left late in the game with leg cramps) used his elusiveness to drive past Thelen, spin left away from a help defender, and put a little extra English on a lay-up between two Pirates.  P-W in-bounded the ball but couldn't find a decent shot as Jimmy Lehman's 3 was a bit off and Andre Smith's putback went long as time ran out.  Wolfpack players stormed the court, their team snapping a 5-game losing streak to the P-W Pirates.  Brown's 10 points led Laingsburg, while Smith's 11 points led all scorers.

INDIVIDUAL PLAYER STATS:

Pewamo-Westphalia:

ANDRE SMITH: 11 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks

JIMMY LEHMAN: 6 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists

GARRETT TRIERWEILER: 6 points, 7 rebounds

Laingsburg:

KAM BROWN: 10 points, 2 assists

GABE HAWES: 5 points, 2 rebounds

TYLER BENNETT: 4 points, 2 rebounds