LA GRANDE — The thought of even making it to overtime must have appeared far fetched for some La Grande fans on Tuesday, Jan. 16.

The Tigers were down 14 in the final quarter of play to Pendleton and fans were preparing to venture back outside into the cold for a trip home.

Limiting Pendleton to only three points in the final quarter, La Grande forced the 4A Greater Oregon League contest into overtime before Pendleton was able to head home with a 59-54 overtime victory.

“We just couldn’t pull it out,” La Grande head coach Shawn Brooks said. “I am very proud of the boys for how they stepped up in the fourth. They demonstrated a lot of heart, pride and passion. We just need to stop burying ourselves in holes and then want to turn it on in the second half. The boys made great plays, hitting clutch shots and made great defensive steals and rebounds to give us a chance.”

As Brooks points out, La Grande started the game with only a six-point first quarter showing only an 18-point total at the half. Holding Pendleton to three points in the fourth period, the Tigers exploded for their best showing of the night, 17 points, to force the game into the extra four minutes.

Caeden Barrett led La Grande in the game with 20 points. Aaron Weaver added 14 points and Quintin Theiler wrapped up his night with 10 points.

“We had a variety of scoring which has been desperately needed all year,” Brooks said. “Aaron had a great game down low with the 14 points and Quintin really stepped up but his defense was the X factor. He got a charge down the stretch to get us another possession to make it to to overtime. Caeden hit clutch shots down the stretch to give us a chance.”

La Grande (4-13 overall, 0-2 4A Greater Oregon League) will have the opportunity to break a four-game skid and pick up that first league victory on Jan. 19 with a trip to Ontario (3-11 overall, 0-1 4A Greater Oregon League).