Boys basketball: Simpson, Britt combine for 40 as Newman beats Morrison in Oregon Thanksgiving Tournament semifinal

OREGON – The Newman Comets and Morrison Mustangs were locked in a back-and-forth battle until the final 1:13 of Saturday afternoon’s Oregon Thanksgiving Tournament semifinal game. With some key defensive stops and clutch free-throw shooting in the final moments, the Comets closed out a 53-46 win, advancing to the tournament championship game.

In the first half, shooting struggles kept the Comets behind, but despite a Mustangs 3-point barrage, they managed to keep the game to a one-point deficit at halftime.

“We didn’t shoot well from 3 in the first half, and that’s why we were down. I think we were 1-for-19 in the first half, so not our best shooting,” Newman point guard Nolan Britt said. “But forcing them to make turnovers – I think they had 11 in the first half – putting ball pressure and getting fast-break layups were kind of keeping us in the game.”

Newman started the game on a 5-0 run in the first 3:30, but Morrison was quick to respond. Consecutive Carson Strating 3s pulled the Mustangs within 9-8 just under the two-minute mark, then a Strating layup made it a 10-9 Morrison lead with 1:09 left in the first quarter. A Cody McBride free throw for Newman tied the game 10-10 just before the first quarter expired.

Midway through the second quarter, the Comets took an 18-13 lead on a Lucas Simpson fast-break layup. A Britt right-wing 3 pushed the lead to 21-17 about a minute-and-a-half later, but Danny Mouw hit a right-wing 3 and Cooper Bush hit a right-corner 3 just 30 seconds apart for a 23-21 Morrison lead as 1:15 remained in the half.

With the help of five made 3-pointers, the Mustangs led 23-22 at halftime.

“We just play well as a team, and when we move the ball together, we have really good chemistry,” Bush said of Morrison’s first-half success. “We’ve all been friends for so long that it’s like playing in the driveway with each other.”

Bush’s left-corner 3 with 5:55 left in the third quarter stretched the Morrison lead to 28-22 – its biggest of the game – but Newman quickly turned the tide.

A pair of Britt free throws pulled the Comets within 30-29, then a Simpson layup off an Ayden Batten assist captured a 31-30 lead. From there, Newman scored six straight points, as Sam Francque snagged an offensive rebound and put back the miss, and Simpson and George Jungerman laid in open shots in the last 1:41. After a 15-7 third-quarter run, Newman held a 37-30 lead entering the fourth quarter.

“We came out with a lot of energy, and we also started getting our posts more touches because they were on this game and the shooters weren’t, so just turning up the intensity and getting the big guys the ball,” Britt said of Newman’s third-quarter surge.

A Chase Newman and-1 layup and a Strating layup in the first 47 seconds drew Morrison within 37-35; a Mouw right-wing 3 tied the game at 40-40.

The Mustangs regained the lead at 46-45 after Daeshaun McQueen put back a missed free throw, but the Comets’ defense was a brick wall for the final 2:10, and clutch free-throw shooting helped ice the game.

Simpson hit a free throw at the 1:34 mark, tying the game at 46-46. Over the next 49 seconds, he sank four more free throws, stretching the Newman lead to 50-46. Britt dropped in a layup for a 52-46 lead with 25 seconds left, then sank a final free throw with 11.5 seconds left to secure the 53-46 win.

“Just stay focused,” Simpson said of what was running through his mind as he shot free throws in the final minutes. “If you are aren’t focused when you’re shooting free throws, you’ll be off and they’ll go out. So I just had to stay focused.”

Simpson’s 23 points, 10 rebounds and five steals paced the Comets in each statistical category. Britt scored 17 points and snagged seven rebounds, and Jungerman added eight points for Newman.

Strating paced the Mustangs with 16 points and five rebounds, Bush scored nine points, and Newman chipped in eight points.

“We were playing ahead of ourselves sometimes,” Bush said. “I had a couple turnovers. We just need to take care of the ball more, but it’s the first tournament, so that’s just to be expected.”