IMBLER — A seven-point overtime was enough to get Imbler past Cove, 41-40, on Friday, Jan. 26.

“We didn’t play great but part of that was due to Cove,” Imbler head coach Tony Haddock said of the come-from-behind win. “Cove played extremely hard. Our kids were resilient and toughed it out.”

A slow start for both teams saw Cove take a slim 8-6 lead at the end of the first quarter. While the Leopards came alive in the second quarter for 13 points, Imbler continued to have problems finding the basket and trailed 19-14 at the half.

The third quarter again saw the two teams not add many points to its totals with Cove adding six points while the Panthers added only seven points. Trailing heading into the final eight minutes, Imbler came alive in the final quarter to knot up the score at 34-all at the end of regulation, forcing the game into extra minutes.

“(Wyatt) Burgess was their dude tonight,” Haddock said of Cove. “He hit a lot of tough shots for Cove.”

Only four Imbler players placed points on the board led by Justin Frost’s 16 points. Henry Treat and Jake Bingaman each ended the night with 10 points.

Burgess led Cove and all scorers in the game with 27 points. Micah Jayne added 10 points.

Imbler (18-2 overall, 6-0 1A Old Oregon League) defends the team’s perfect league standings with a home game against Wallowa (9-11 overall, 3-3 1A Old Oregon League) on Jan. 27.

Cove (15-6 overall, 5-2 1A Old Oregon League) will take a few days off before hitting the road on Feb. 1 with a trip to Wallowa.