ARGYLE - It's been 79 years since the Argyle High School boys basketball team has won a regional championship.
Argyle senior Riley Ostby turned in a monster performance Friday to give the Orioles a chance to break that chain.
Ostby scored a game-high 34 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to power Argyle to a thrilling 68-61 win over Fall River in a WIAA Division 5 regional semifinal Friday night.
Argyle (16-8) advances to host No. 3 seed Cambria-Friesland (15-9) in for a regional championship at 7 p.m. today. The Orioles are looking to win their first regional title since 1937.
"It's been a long time coming," Ostby said. "We knew we had the team to do it this year. It's great we finally get a chance to play for a regional championship. We have had some other playoff runs like this in football. We couldn't have asked for a better season."
It was a season on the brink in the second half. Fall River (7-17) battled back from a 15-point first-half deficit. Fall River junior Nicholas Brozek knocked down four of his six 3-pointers in the second half to ignite the upset-minded Pirates. Brozek, who scored a team-high 20 points, drilled a 3-pointer with 10 minutes, 17 seconds left to give the Pirates a short-lived 48-47 lead.
It was a team effort for the Orioles. Argyle junior Collin Argue, who scored all 12 of his points in the second half, came up with a steal and scored on a layup to give the Orioles a 60-54 lead with 2:58 to go. Fall River junior Colton Roberts then knifed in for a layup to cut the Orioles' lead to 60-58. Ostby answered by powering his way in for a layup to give the Orioles a 62-58 advantage.
Brozek hit a 3-pointer with 55 seconds left to slice the Orioles' lead to 62-61. That was as close as the Pirates would get. Ostby made a pinpoint pass to Argue who converted a three-point play that extended the Orioles' lead to 65-61 with 45.5 seconds to go.
"Riley stepped up as a senior should," Argyle coach Justin Jenson said. "He was not going to be denied."
Ostby credited Argue for making one of the plays of the game with a three-point play that helped extend the lead to four points.
"I thought that sealed the game along with that jump ball after that," Ostby said. "If we gave up a 3 after that we still had the lead. That was a big and-1. I'm glad Collin converted on."
At 5-foot-11, Ostby isn't the most traditional post player. However, he used his quickness and strength to dominate the Pirates, who chose not to switch their defense from man-to-man to a zone.
"Riley has been a post player for four years," Jenson said. "He knows how to post up the defender and use his body. When he got the ball, he took it hard to the basket. I can't say enough about the way he played tonight. It was the best game I have seen him play."
Early on, it looked like the Orioles would run away with the win. Argyle used a 17-4 run in the first half to build a 15-point lead. Ostby scored on two layups late in the first half to give the Orioles a 30-15 lead.
The Orioles shot 60.7 percent (17 of 28) in the first half to take a 36-26 lead at the break. That set the stage for a tense second half with the Pirates' comeback fueled by Brozek's four 3-pointers.
"Coach told us all week that they (Fall River) would make a run and hit some 3s," Ostby said. "We had to weather the storm."
Argyle junior Mitchell Dammen chipped in eight points and had eight rebounds. Dammen and Ostby both were key in the Orioles having a 20-8 rebounding edge on the Pirates in the first half.
"He is a big part of that," Jenson said of Dammen rebounding. "He has done it all year long. He is a guy who doesn't get a lot of credit. He continues to do his job and excel at it."
It's a short turnaround, but Jenson doesn't expect the Orioles to be too weary after a hard-fought game.
"We can't get too high after this because we have to play tomorrow," Jenson said. "Winning a regional championship has been our goal since Day 1. Our goal from the start was to win three playoff games and see what happens."
Argyle senior Riley Ostby turned in a monster performance Friday to give the Orioles a chance to break that chain.
Ostby scored a game-high 34 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to power Argyle to a thrilling 68-61 win over Fall River in a WIAA Division 5 regional semifinal Friday night.
Argyle (16-8) advances to host No. 3 seed Cambria-Friesland (15-9) in for a regional championship at 7 p.m. today. The Orioles are looking to win their first regional title since 1937.
"It's been a long time coming," Ostby said. "We knew we had the team to do it this year. It's great we finally get a chance to play for a regional championship. We have had some other playoff runs like this in football. We couldn't have asked for a better season."
It was a season on the brink in the second half. Fall River (7-17) battled back from a 15-point first-half deficit. Fall River junior Nicholas Brozek knocked down four of his six 3-pointers in the second half to ignite the upset-minded Pirates. Brozek, who scored a team-high 20 points, drilled a 3-pointer with 10 minutes, 17 seconds left to give the Pirates a short-lived 48-47 lead.
It was a team effort for the Orioles. Argyle junior Collin Argue, who scored all 12 of his points in the second half, came up with a steal and scored on a layup to give the Orioles a 60-54 lead with 2:58 to go. Fall River junior Colton Roberts then knifed in for a layup to cut the Orioles' lead to 60-58. Ostby answered by powering his way in for a layup to give the Orioles a 62-58 advantage.
Brozek hit a 3-pointer with 55 seconds left to slice the Orioles' lead to 62-61. That was as close as the Pirates would get. Ostby made a pinpoint pass to Argue who converted a three-point play that extended the Orioles' lead to 65-61 with 45.5 seconds to go.
"Riley stepped up as a senior should," Argyle coach Justin Jenson said. "He was not going to be denied."
Ostby credited Argue for making one of the plays of the game with a three-point play that helped extend the lead to four points.
"I thought that sealed the game along with that jump ball after that," Ostby said. "If we gave up a 3 after that we still had the lead. That was a big and-1. I'm glad Collin converted on."
At 5-foot-11, Ostby isn't the most traditional post player. However, he used his quickness and strength to dominate the Pirates, who chose not to switch their defense from man-to-man to a zone.
"Riley has been a post player for four years," Jenson said. "He knows how to post up the defender and use his body. When he got the ball, he took it hard to the basket. I can't say enough about the way he played tonight. It was the best game I have seen him play."
Early on, it looked like the Orioles would run away with the win. Argyle used a 17-4 run in the first half to build a 15-point lead. Ostby scored on two layups late in the first half to give the Orioles a 30-15 lead.
The Orioles shot 60.7 percent (17 of 28) in the first half to take a 36-26 lead at the break. That set the stage for a tense second half with the Pirates' comeback fueled by Brozek's four 3-pointers.
"Coach told us all week that they (Fall River) would make a run and hit some 3s," Ostby said. "We had to weather the storm."
Argyle junior Mitchell Dammen chipped in eight points and had eight rebounds. Dammen and Ostby both were key in the Orioles having a 20-8 rebounding edge on the Pirates in the first half.
"He is a big part of that," Jenson said of Dammen rebounding. "He has done it all year long. He is a guy who doesn't get a lot of credit. He continues to do his job and excel at it."
It's a short turnaround, but Jenson doesn't expect the Orioles to be too weary after a hard-fought game.
"We can't get too high after this because we have to play tomorrow," Jenson said. "Winning a regional championship has been our goal since Day 1. Our goal from the start was to win three playoff games and see what happens."
