Marshfield boys reach basketball playoffs

Marshfield’s boys basketball team is headed to the Class 4A playoffs after a dramatic win over Pendleton on Saturday at Pirate Palace.

The Pirates beat the Buckaroos 53-50 after Pendleton erased a double-digit deficit in the second half.

Marshfield is at Philomath on Friday for a spot in the final eight at Forest Grove.

“It’s awesome,” said senior Joe Herbert. “Watching all the older kids get to do it every year and now we get to do it.”

Herbert was involved in the key play of the game, passing to Luke Jackson for a 3-pointer from the wing when the game was tied in the final 30 seconds.

It’s a play they work on every day in practice and Herbert had a good feeling even though Jackson and the other Pirates had been struggling from outside all game.

“I knew he was going to hit it,” Herbert said.

The shot gave the Pirates a 51-48 lead and Steel Carpenter hit two free throws following a Pendleton turnover. The Buckaroos scored at the buzzer for the final margin.

Marshfield had built its lead behind the defense, with Herbert and Carpenter badgering the Pendleton players out front relentlessly.

“Us flying around a lot gives us more energy on offense and gets us transition points,” Herbert said.

Herbert and Carpenter each had three breakaways after steals. When Herbert missed one of those, Jackson was there for the put-back.

Marshfield coach Jesse Ainsworth praised his team’s defense, especially late in the game after Pendleton had gone in front by two.

“We talk about stops in a row,” he said. “Late in the game, we were able to get three stops in a row.”

The defense was important with Marshfield struggling from outside, which normally is a strength.

“Our offense is built to get those 3s,” Ainsworth said. “They just weren’t going in tonight. They were great looks.”

Before the last shot, the Pirates had just two 3-pointers during the game, one by Jackson and the other by Jonah Martin.

Jackson had 16 points in the win. Carpenter added 14, connecting on eight of 10 free throws.

Herbert and Gannon Frost scored six points. Freshman Keller Vinyard scored eight, including a key free throw after an offensive rebound late in the game when the Pirates needed points.

Ainsworth said the team was able to overcome Pendleton because it lives up to its core values.

“Attitude and effort are on top of our list of core values,” he said. “These guys embody it.”

“We were flat a lot of the time,” Herbert said of the game. “We were there when it counted.”

Now Marshfield gets a shot in the playoffs against a Philomath squad that beat the Pirates 51-38 during Marshfield’s Les Schwab tournament back in December.

Philomath is seeded fifth for the tournament while Marshfield is the 12-seed.

“We have to clean up some stuff that we didn’t do well last time,” Herbert said.

Pendleton saw its season end with the loss. The Buckaroos were led by Mason Strong, who had 18 points, 16 in the second half. Jaydon Hoffert added 10, including a pair of 3-pointers.

The winner of the Marshfield-Philomath game will play either Newport or Baker in the quarterfinals at Forest Grove High School.

Among other Sky-Em League teams, Junction City is the No. 2 seed and hosts Scappoose while Marist Catholic is seeded sixth and hosts Phoenix.