Johnson buzzer-beater lifts Loggers over Broncs

With the score tied and 3.3 seconds left in the game, Libby had possession of the ball in their game against Frenchtown.  The Loggers had called a timeout, and would inbound the ball on their end of the court from in front of the team’s bench.

The pass went in to senior guard Collin Johnson. He drove the right baseline, streaking past defenders to hit the game-winning layup as time expired. With the basket, Libby got their first conference win of the season by beating the Broncs, 47-45.   

The final play worked just how it was drawn up. “Mr. Bean wrote it out and he said if I’m open throw it to me and drive in. I was open and I just did my best to hit the shot,” said Johnson.

Libby head coach Josh Bean said the last play, which was designed to go to Johnson or over the top to Erik Lauer, was one the team hasn’t practiced very much this season. “They ran it, and they ran it great,” Bean said.    

Both teams struggled to get going offensively in the beginning of the game. Frenchtown’s 6-foot-8 sophomore Austin Means missed a dunk in the first quarter, but showed he could clearly play above the rim. Libby led by a score of 7-6 at the end of the first, with four points coming from Michael Curtiss.

Second-quarter action saw minimal scoring, but the Loggers showed patience and good ball movement throughout both quarters. Means picked up two fouls in the first and at about the 5-minute mark picked up his third and had to take a seat on the bench.

As the end of the second quarter neared, Johnson began attacking the basket. He scored the last four points of the quarter for the Loggers on drives to the basket, and narrowly missed a layup as time expired in the first half. Libby held a 16-14 lead at the half.

In the beginning of the third quarter the teams traded buckets. Libby got the best of the exchanges with Jonny Cielak draining a couple 3s from the right and left side. He hit another 3-pointer a little bit later in the quarter.

Frenchtown’s Bridger Truett started to heat up in the third quarter and answered Cielak’s nine points with nine of his own. After the lead exchanged hands several times in the third, a 3-pointer by Johnson at the buzzer made the score 31-30, Frenchtown’s lead.

Zander Peterson passed to a cutting Erik Lauer for a layup to get Libby started in the fourth quarter. After a bucket by Truett, Logger Luke Adamson nailed a 3-pointer with his feet just behind the line.

Within about a minute-and-a-half of play halfway through the fourth quarter, Truett hit a couple 3s and a circus layup after drawing contact.

With 26 seconds left in the game, Frenchtown had the ball with a 45-42 lead. They threw the ball in and Libby fouled, allowing 3 seconds to tick off the clock. As Frenchtown tried to throw the ball in from in front of their bench, contact between Truett and Johnson put Johnson on the floor and a foul was called on Truett. Frenchtown’s coach Michael Botsford didn’t look to agree with the call.

Libby got the ball in Johnson’s hands, who then passed to Cielak. From the top of the three-point line, he banked the 3-ball to tie the game at 45.

After the basket, Frenchtown got the ball in to Truett. As he tried to weave between Logger defenders, he somehow wound up on the ground, losing the ball in the process. Libby got the ball and called a timeout.

From there, it was Johnson time and a win for the Loggers. “We finally had a consistent effort for all four quarters, we didn’t have a let-down tonight,” Bean said. “It was a great ballgame to be a part of.”

Jonny Cielak scored 15 and Collin Johnson added 13 for Libby, which improved to 1-5 in conference, 2-12 overall.

Bridger Truett’s game-high 25 points wasn’t enough for Frenchtown. They fell to 3-4, and 6-9.

Libby Loggers (47)

Luke Adamson 5, Jonny Cielak 15, Collin Johnson 13, Erik Lauer 7, Michael Curtiss 7.

Frenchtown Broncs (45)

Jacob Price 1, Kyle Smith 5, Chris Delaney 2, Bridger Truett 25, Austin Means 8, Levi Lind 2, Taylor Birgenheier 2.

Frenchtown 6 8 17 14 _45

Libby       7  9  14  17 _47