Kalama led wire-to-almost-wire, but the Toledo boys basketball team came back to squeak ahead in the final seconds to win 52-50 on Tuesday evening in Cowlitz County.
The Chinooks took the lead after the opening tip and held it for the next 30 minutes, until Cooper Fallon got free on an inbounds play under the basket with a minute left to tie the game up at 50-50.
The Riverhawks (5-1, 1-0 C2BL) got a stop on the ensuing Kalama possession to get the ball back. Their first shot missed, the mark, but Christian Malunat tipped an offensive rebound to Fallon who got fouled on the way up, and sank two free throws with 11 seconds left to give the guests their first lead of the game.
Toledo scored 38 points in the second half to pull off the comeback, after managing just 14 in the opening 16 minutes.
“We flushed that half down, tried to refocus and regroup and we just kept battling,” Toledo coach Grady Fallon said.
Kaven Winters finished with 22 points to lead all scorers while fellow senior Rogan Stanley added 15. The two hit five 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, after making just two up to that point.
“Our two seniors really stepped up,” Grady Fallon said.
Toledo will get a huge test Thursday, traveling to Napavine.
