1/22/24
Olympia 10 24 40 49 54 56 69
Sumner 13 24 40 49 54 56 64
(Sumner, WA) Sports is a test of character. A measuring stick, to how an individual or team matches an adversary. At the end of this night, the margins could not be any more thinner.
It took three overtimes and a herculean effort by one of the finest stars of the SPSL to have the final word. The Olympia Bears emerged a triple overtime instant classic a winner 69-64, thanks to Matt Lindblom’s game high 32 points.
Not much separated the two teams in the 1st quarter of play. Kane Wood led the way in the first quarter scoring 6 first quarter points while Jalen Hyppa off the bench contributed for Sumner with 5 points in the 1st frame while Blake Peterson and Kingston Stanciu paced Olympia with 4 apiece, Sumner led 13-10 after 1.
The 2nd quarter saw Sumner take a 16-10 lead before Matt Lindblom showcased his handles to perfection with a jumper that seemingly turned the tide for Olympia part of Lindblom’s 9 2nd quarter points. Cooper Hartley for Sumner carried the load for the Spartans with 5 pts including a made three that hung on the rim for an eternity before being cashed in. The end of the 2nd quarter saw a feverish pace where 14 points were combined by the two teams in the final 2:30 of the half, punctuated by Karl Lidtke’s impressive reverse layup was answered by Blake Peterson’s trey with 12 seconds left in the half to tie the game at the half, 24-24.
The second half began with more of the same from Matt Lindblom, this time with damage courtesy of two made three pointers, to give Olympia their largest lead of the game at 35-27. Sumner relied on their Cooper’s to rally back, first Cooper Miller with a layup through traffic followed up by Miller blocking the ensuing Olympia attempted shot, before Cooper Hartley punctuated the Sumner surge with a made three to put the Spartans within 3 at 35-32. Hartley would find himself in the defensive act by forcing a steal and nailing the corresponding three to tie the game at 35. Jalen Hyppa helped keep pace for Sumner with a late 3 in the 3rd quarter that saw the score tied at 40 after 24 minutes of play.
Sumner saw a lead as large as 46-42 in the fourth quarter before Matt Lindblom nailed a three to keep Olympia in striking range. After Jalen Hyppa three late to put the Spartans up 49-47, Julian Zapata cashed in on banking a shot down the lane to tie the game in closing seconds. Matt Lindblom had a chance to close the game out in regulation on a half court buzzer beater, but his shot was denied by the front of the rim.
In overtime, not much separated the two teams, after back-to-back threes by both teams, with the game tied at 54 in the closing seconds of overtime number one, Eli Nordling had a buzzer beater attempt that had everyone in the Sumner gym holding their breath, the shot went wide right. Double overtime saw both teams scoring merely two points apiece, which leads us into triple overtime. The third overtime turning point came with Olympia holding a 60-58 lead. The SPSL undefeated Bears scored on two layups in the span of seventeen seconds the first from Matt Lindblom and the second from Julian Zapata, Olympia amounted to a 64-58 lead, and they would not look back.
Olympia pulled out the win in triple overtime 69-64 to up their record to (10-0) in SPSL play and (12-5) overall.
Olympia’s Matt Lindblom claimed MVP honors with his game high 32 points.
The defending state runners up will be in for a busy week with a road trip to Emerald Ridge tomorrow before closing out regular season play with a home back to back against Bethel and Graham Kapowsin.
Sumner falls to (7-4) in SPSL play and (13-4) overall. They face a tough test in Puyallup Vikings team tomorrow with intentions of ruining the Spartans stellar path towards postseason play.
The Puyallup/Sumner game will tip off tomorrow night with the pregame show at 6:45p right here on ESN with our own, Danny DeBock on the call.
Scoring
Olympia – Matt Lindblom 32, Julian Zapata 13, Blake Peterson 11, Drew Carlson 7, Kingston Stanciu 4
Sumner – Jalen Hyppa 18, Cooper Hartley 13, Kane Wood 13, Eli Nordling 9, Cooper Miller 7, Karl Lidtke 2, Grayson Frederick 1, Luke Bohl 1
Postgame Show
Lindbloom Handles Leads to a 2
Lidtke Makes Athletic Reverse
Olympia Seals the Win
elisportsnetwork.com