Sutter back in the saddle

The story line entering Wednesday night's Northern Section Division IV semifinal game was clear: Could top-seeded Gridley contain Sutter High big man Isaiah Bohmann enough to slip past the Huskies and set a date for Saturday's championship game at Chico State?

Turns out the Bulldogs didn't have an answer for the Huskies' 6-foot-7 post player, but even with a monster 28-point, 28-rebound performance, it was a little help from Bohmann's friends that finally put away the Bulldogs.

Leszek Ratajczak scored 12 of his 18 points in the fourth period and Cameron Brown added 14 clutch points of his own as the Huskies held off the deep and talented Bulldogs to earn to 79-68 victory in a tight game at Farmer's Hall.

"I love it. I feed off the intensity of the crowd," Bohmann said. "It's been our goal all season to get back there and we had some bumps on the road, but we're starting to come together and play like a team."

From the moment Bohmann and Gridley standout Ty Nichols stepped to midcourt for the opening tip, it was apparent that the team that played the best would come out on top — that's how it played out.

Every player on the court hit the hardwood for a loose ball in a high-energy first period that ended with Sutter ahead 17-15. While the score was close, Bohmann showed that he couldn't be stopped by tallying nine points, five rebounds and a block in the first eight minutes of the game.

The pace continued into the second, and when Ratajczak nailed a turnaround jumper to put the Huskies up by 10 late in the half, it looked like it was going to be the Huskies' night.

But like they would all evening, the Bulldogs (21-6) charged back.

A 3-pointer by Trevor Scott and a 3-point play by Nichols closed the gap to four, and when 5-foot-5 guard Travis Powell stole an inbound pass and converted a layup at the buzzer, the Huskies ran into the locker room only up 32-29.

Bohmann dominated the half with 13 points and 11 rebounds, but his shorter counterpart Powell was just as good for the Bulldogs. Powell scored seven points and swiped three steals in the half, and while Bohmann was cleaning up everything, the tiny guard somehow managed to come down with three offensive rebounds.

The Huskies opened with an 8-0 run to start the second half and took a 48-38 lead with 1:18 remaining in the third period, but once again Gridley quickly stormed back.

Powell had steal for a layup, Zane MacFarlane nailed a 3-pointer and Kevin Mattos beat the buzzer yet again for the Bulldogs to end the third and cut into the lead. And when Mattos drove all the way to rack for a layup early in the fourth, the Bulldogs trailed 50-47 with 7:01 remaining.

Then Ratajczak took over.

Sidelined early in the season with an injured shoulder, the senior came alive to score nine of Sutter's first 11 points of the fourth period to stretch the lead to 61-51 with four minutes to go.

The Bulldogs cut it to six points late, but this time they were out of comebacks. With Gridley forced to foul, the Huskies finally put the game away by knocking down 12 of their 22 free throws in the final minutes to earn a hard-fought victory.

"Our first half record was .500, so it took a while," said Sutter coach Bernie DiDario, who praised Brown's defensive job on Nichols. "But Isaiah and Lez have dominated the second half of the season. That's the biggest difference."

Mattos scored 11 in the fourth and led Gridley with 15 points. Trevor Scott had 12, while Nichols finished with 11 points and 12 rebounds.

"Sometimes you're going to work your butt off, but it's not your night," said Gridley coach Nathan Link. "We tried to keep them from getting the ball in to Isaiah, but he was working hard and they hit their outside shots."

Sophomore Elijah Smith canned four 3s to score 12 points for the No. 4 seeded Huskies, who will look for their second-straight section title against Orland on Saturday.