Narrow margins for Demons-Tigers

WASHINGTON - Only tie basketball games could be any closer than the contest the Washington and Grinnell boys played in a Class 3A substate final Thursday.

After Travis Leyden gave the Demons their first lead since the second quarter on a 3-pointer with 20 seconds left, Owen Coffman (25 points) made two free throws with under a second on the scoreboard clock to give Grinnell a 49-48 win.

Not only was the score close but numerous statistics were close.

Each team made 6-of-15 3-pointers. Washington made 17 field goals, Grinnell 19, but the Demons were 8-for-10 on free throws. Grinnell was 3-for-11 until Owen Coffman made 3-of-4 in the final 46 seconds. Grinnell was called for 13 fouls, Washington 11.

Another similarity between the two teams was the games played without a key contributor. Coffman, whose previous best point total was 19, missed eight games and Grinnell went 2-6 in those games. Bailey missed seven games for Washington and the Demons were 5-2. Coffman's first game missed was a 40-36 win over Oskaloosa. His first game back was a 39-35 win over Oskaloosa.

A quick look at the rebounding battle shows it was fairly even considering there was a 6-foot-9 player (Coffman) for Grinnell. The Tigers had six offensive rebounds, Washington five. In total rebounds, Grinnell had the edge at 30-24.

But a closer look reveals a large difference. While Coffman had eight boards and Brooks Latimer six for 46 percent of Grinnell's total rebounds, the Tigers had six others with at least one rebound, five had with three or more.

Willis had more than half of the Demons total, collecting 13 caroms. Lucas Kroll had six. Two guys had 76 percent of the Demon rebounds. Ethan Patterson snagged three then Suchan and Kasen Bailey had one each.

The rebounding totals seem to show a void, a gap, a missing element. Seem to show? The stats definitely show an absence, The Demons missed Lance Sobaski's skills clearing the glass. Sobaski was fourth in the Southeast Conference in rebounds (Willis was third, Kroll fifth) but did not play in Thursday's game after an injury to his ankle in practice the day before the game. Sobaski averages almost three offensive rebounds a game and the Demons averaged 10.5. Thursday's total was five. Sobaski averages 7.9 points a game and the Demons average 60 while giving up 53.6.

There were a few statistics that showed the winner of the Thursday's game. Grinnell had 15 assists and shot 51.4 percent from the field. Washington had eight assists and shot 37.8 percent from the field.

There were a few statistics that indicated Washington was the winner. Grinnell had 16 turnovers, Washington seven. Washington had 10 steals, Grinnell four. But then without Travis Leyden, Washington and Grinnell would each have four steals. Leyden had four of his six thefts in the fourth quarter alone. He was the defender on Grinnell's last shot, a poor off-balance corner three.

Leyden's contributions happened despite an injured ankle that kept him out of the starting lineup.