High-energy Wray game ends in harrowing overtime defeat

    Wray brought a crowd, and the Holyoke High School gym was full of energy for the Dec. 20 basketball games. After trailing for much of the game, the Eagles ended up winning 77-73 in overtime for the Dragons last contest of 2018.
    Spectators who left during the first half may have thought the Dragons had the game in the bag. The first quarter started with great intensity from the home team. Blake Mosenteen, who struggled to get his shots to drop the week before, wasted no time giving HHS an early lead Thursday night. Coach Marcus Kammer was pleased to see the full-court press lead to a lot of turnovers.
    Though Holyoke had a 10-point advantage going into it, the two teams seemed rather evenly matched in the second quarter. Kammer pointed out that foul trouble meant that they had to pull out of full court pressure. “I really feel that is when it allowed Wray hope, as we had to play back to avoid any more fouls,” he said.
    Since Wray missed most of the free throws afforded to them by Holyoke’s fouling, the Dragons were able to maintain a 32-23 lead at halftime.
    The third quarter was the turning point for Wray. “Our defensive mindset got out of whack in the third quarter,” Kammer said. One problem was that the Dragons continued to give up layups, allowing the Eagles to gain ground. Near the end of the period, Wray tied up the game, carrying that momentum into the fourth.

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