Tied up late, the Centralia College men’s basketball team came up just short in a 71-70 loss to South Puget Sound Saturday afternoon in Olympia.
Though the Trailblazers led for most of the game, the Clippers rallied for a late surge, leading to a back-and-forth final five minutes. Though the Blazers had their chances to take the lead, the Clippers got the last laugh, with Justin Hicks hitting a layup with 13 seconds remaining for the go-ahead layup.
After Centralia missed on the next possession, a foul sent a Clipper to the line, and though he split free throws, the Blazers gave up an offensive rebound, and any hope to tie the game and send it into overtime.
The Trailblazers shot 41.2% from the field, with Trevion Frazier scoring a team-high 18 points off the bench to lead the way. Raymond Guillory added 12 points and Deshawn Keperling scored 10 for the Blazers. Local products Kayden Kelly of W.F. West (5 points) and Bryce Cline of Winlock (2 points) also scored for Centralia.
Centralia moved the ball better than it has in recent weeks, with 14 assists to 15 turnovers, and were outrebounded 40-29.
The Trailblazers (5-18, 3-6 NWAC West) host Highline for their next contest on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
