"Bohmann was the most noticeable player of the game for many reasons, the first being his clutch bucket, the second his 6-foot-7 frame and the third being the massive tape job done to the junior's right hand. Despite having his pinkie and ring fingers taped together in a contraption that also held his thumb, Bohmann led all scorers with 20 points and was a major force down low in the Huskies' attack. He shot 8-for-12 from the field with eight rebounds."

March 7, 2009
By LELAND GORDON-Sports Writer

CHICO — The buzzer-beater basket can be as equally debilitating as it is exhilarating, and the top-seeded Corning High boys basketball team found it out the hard way Friday night at Acker Gym in the Northern Section Division IV title game. The Cardinals' Tanner McIntyre nailed a clutch 3-pointer to tie the game with 10 seconds left but Sutter's Leseck Ratajczak pushed the ball upcourt after the inbound and dished it off to Isaiah Bohmann for a layin with 1.5 seconds remaining. The last-second bucket secured a 53-51 triumph for the No. 2 seed Huskies and it forced a host of Cardinals players to leave the Chico State floor with stunned looks on their faces and the runner-up plaque.

"They had set up a play for me, I took one dribble and was open, and when I made it, I was thinking overtime," McIntyre said. "Then I tried to take a charge on the first guy on defense and I saw Bohmann put it in."

Bohmann was the most noticeable player of the game for many reasons, the first being his clutch bucket, the second his 6-foot-7 frame and the third being the massive tape job done to the junior's right hand. Despite having his pinkie and ring fingers taped together in a contraption that also held his thumb, Bohmann led all scorers with 20 points and was a major force down low in the Huskies' attack. He shot 8-for-12 from the field with eight rebounds.

"Once I got that pass I knew it was my time to put it in, it's a dream right now," said Bohmann amongst a crowd of cheering Sutter students at halfcourt. "I've always dreamed of making a game-winner."

McIntyre's big 3-pointer represented the first time the game was tied after it was 7-7 in the first five minutes of the game. His two free throws after a Matt Barr offensive rebound made it 49-48 with 38 seconds left as well.

Those free throw attempts went in, but many others didn't. Corning (23-6) shot just 5-for-11 from the line, and coach Bill Mache said that was what hurt his team, normally a consistent one from that spot.

"We didn't make free throws, that was the story of the game," Mache said. "That was something we could control."

The final-minute theatrics wouldn't have happened had the Cardinals not done a solid job of battling back into the game in the late minutes. Sutter (22-5) led by nine at 41-32 with 4:57 remaining before Corning bursted out on an 8-0 run that elicited the raucous cheering section to come to life, and just like how the Cardinals reached the title game, it came with balance.

Barr connected on a 3-pointer to make it 41-35, and Tyler McIntyre knocked down a mid-range jumper on the next possession. A Bohmann travel gave Corning the ball back and Tanner McIntyre canned one of his four 3-pointers, making it a 41-40 contest with 3:10 left.

Corning outscored the Huskies 23-19 in the fourth quarter. But the Cardinals just didn't have enough time, Mache said.

"If the game goes another quarter I think we could've got by them," Mache said. "But there's only four quarters. We just had a tough time scoring. Give Sutter credit, (Bohmann) played an exceptional game."

Cameron Nye was a big contributor for the Cardinals with 10 points, including the team's first two buckets of the fourth quarter. Barr added eight points and eight rebounds.

Sutter led 19-14 after a fast-paced first quarter and 25-21 at the half. The pace was bogged considerably in the third quarter as well, with Sutter holding a 9-7 scoring advantage.

"I'd say the early turnovers hurt us," Tanner McIntyre said. "They put us in a hole."

Corning's latest lead was 10-9 halfway through the first quarter.