Bears beat back No. 1 Kalama, advance to title round, meet Liberty Spangle in final Sat., March 5, 3 p.m.

SPOKANE – As they were Thursday night (March 3) against Toutle Lake, Brewster fans once again were glued to their seats as the defending champion Brewster Bears took another opponent down to the final seconds on the game clock before managing a three-point win.

Brewster faced No. 1 ranked Kalama in the crucial Final Four game Friday night, March 4, that would decide if the Bears advanced to the finals with a chance to repeat as state champs Saturday afternoon.

Unlike the game against Toutle Lake where the Ducks capitalized on the loss of Bears leading scorer Kelson Gebbers in the opening minute of play to build up a 17-point halftime lead, the Chinooks and Bears traded leads from the opening minute through the last seconds. Kelson Gebbers was back in the lineup and was a key contributor to Brewster’s win.

AJ Woodward sank a turn around jump shot and Adaih Najera drilled a three-pointer to give Brewster a 5-4 opening lead and 13-10 first quarter advantage. From that point both teams battled to a 27-all halftime lead and 39-39 ties at the end of the third.

Neither team broke the game open through the fourth quarter as the lead was seldom beyond a basket from either side. The Bears were nursing a one-point, 54-53 lead with less than 30 seconds remaining and possession when Tyson Schertenleib was fouled for a two-point opportunity. Schertenleib drilled the first shot to put the Bears up by two before head coach Michael Taylor called a strategy timeout. Back at the line the junior guard sank the second, forcing Kalama to attempt a mid-court three-pointer to tie.

In a replay of Toutle Lake’s final possession, the Chinooks missed their game knotter.

In the other Final Four game Liberty Spangle defeated Morton-White Pass, 75-65, and will play the Bears at 3 p.m. today (March 5) for the championship.