Sonoma hoopers lose to Trojans on end-of-clock foul

A late rebounding foul with just 1.5-seconds left on the clock enabled the visiting Trojans to convert a pair of free throws and escape the Valley with a 49-47 win.|

Once again the young Sonoma Valley High School varsity basketball boys faced the now-familiar scenario of being on the threshold of an upset victory over a strong opponent, and once again they fell short last Monday night in Pfeiffer Gym.

Trailing longtime SCL rival Petaluma by only five points entering the fourth quarter, the Dragons battled to a tie in the waning moments of regulation play, as sophomore Max Gustafson sank a three-pointer. The game seemed destined for another overtime, where the Dragons have had mixed results this season, but it was not to be.

A late rebounding foul with just 1.5-seconds left on the clock enabled the visiting Trojans to convert a pair of free throws and escape the Valley with a 49-47 win.

“Another gut-wrenching loss. It was a tough way to lose a game. The boys were phenomenal in fighting through adversity,” said Sonoma head coach Mike Boles.

Pacing the Dragons were Gustafson’s 16 points, junior Colton Mertens’ 10 and junior Luke Severson’s six.

“We played through many challenges and were able to overcome many, just falling one possession short,” said Boles. “We are proud of our players, and it was nice to have that home-crowd support. Our players do feed off the energy at home.”

There are two more home games left, with league rival El Molino tonight at 7:30 p.m. in Pfeiffer Gym, followed by the Wednesday, Feb. 10 home finale against Healdsburg.

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