Oregon-Davis pulled off its third upset of the Triton Boys Basketball Sectional, knocking off the host Trojans 38-34 Saturday night to win the sectional title. (Photos by Mike Deak)

BOURBON – Triton boys basketball head coach Jason Groves could barely speak Saturday night following his team’s 38-34 loss to Oregon-Davis in the championship of the Class 1-A Triton Boys Basketball Sectional. He may have said all there needed to be said before the sectional even began.

“I think Oregon-Davis is really scary. They have won four out of their last five, and they are playing well,” Groves said before the sectional draw came out. His foreshadowing was spot on, as the Bobcats, now winners of 10 of their last 11 games, figured out how to beat Triton on its home court in the sectional, which hadn’t been done since the 2004 tournament.

Oregon-Davis steadied the course with solid perimeter defense, which wasn’t super glue sticky, but held Triton to just 1-23 shooting from three-point range in the game until a desperation three at the buzzer gave Triton its only other triple. While the Trojans kept chucking up shots, O-D just kept holding on.

Triton led 27-25 after a pair of Joey Corder free throws, but that would be the last lead Triton would see. Carl Schnekenburger hit a shot and Blake Hurford followed with a bucket to put the Bobcats up two. Henry Clark gave O-D a shot in the arm by stealing the ball and converting the layup on the other end. At 31-27 with four minutes left, the game felt all but over.

Zak Johnston would put the first dagger in with a three from the corner, giving the Bobcats a 34-27 lead and two Hurford free throws with 31.1 seconds to go slammed the door on any hopes of a Triton rally.

“We went through some rough stretches early in the year, but I never doubted these guys,” said first-year Oregon-Davis head coach Joe Eskridge, whose club was pounded by Triton, 63-46, in the first game of the season in Hamlet. “I asked them to believe with me. All of a sudden, they started to believe in themselves.

“We’re not done yet. We’re going to a regional. Before every game, I say ‘Hey guys, I’m not ready to go home yet. I’m not ready to give this up. We’re having too much fun. This is incredible.”

Triton was an abysmal 11-41 from the field in the game, just 27 percent, which was puzzling given the Trojans corralled 12 offensive rebounds and were the aggressors in the first half.

Joey Corder closed his tremendous career at Triton with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Jordan Anderson and Skyler Reichert, both three-point heroes in the Culver win Friday night, combined to hit just 1-18 three-point attempts and managed just seven total points.

Hurford and Joel Worthington each had 10 points and combined for 11 rebounds for the Bobcats.

“It doesn’t help things when we shoot one for 23 from three in the game. We shot 27 percent from the field. You’re not going to win many games doing that,” Groves said. “No matter how good you are defensively. We only gave up 38 points, and if you told me that before the game, I would have felt pretty good about the game. We just couldn’t finish inside, didn’t hit free throws. That was all O-D tonight, they are a good basketball team.”

Triton closes its season 17-8 overall while Oregon-Davis, which upset Argos and South Central to get to the finals, improves to 11-13. The Bobcats, winners of its eighth sectional title and first since 2007, will play in the Triton Regional next Saturday against Tri-County (20-5) in the second semifinal game at approximately noon. Tri-County defeated Pioneer 69-55 Saturday night to win the West Central Sectional.