Last shot doesn’t fall for Coyotes

The Madera Coyotes boys basketball team couldn’t get its final shot to bounce through the hoop in a County/Metro Athletic Conference loss to Sanger in Joe Flores Gym.

The Coyotes forced a jump ball on a Sanger possession while they were trying to run out the clock. Madera had a chance with two seconds left, but K’veon Jones’ shot bounced off the rim for a 53-52 loss Wednesday night.

Cameron Vaughn scored a team high five points in the fourth quarter after he led his team with 13 points . Vaughn and company were unable to make the important shots in the end.

“We got into position,” Madera head coach Michael Hawkins said. “We got a great look at the end of the game, but it just wouldn’t rattle in.”

The Coyotes started off strong in the first quarter after Jones absorbed contact and finished strong for two points. He finished the game with 12 points. The Coyotes played the Apaches better this time afer losing by 56 on Jan. 13.

“Last time we played them, we had a great first half and a timid second half,” Hawkins said. “Here, we played a complete game. They hit some big shots down the stretch, which kind of pushed the lead, but our guys didn’t quit.”

The Coyotes showed promise early on after Vaughn hit a deep 3-pointer with less than three and a half minutes to play in the first quarter.

The Coyotes found themselves in a hole with two minutes left, down by two. Michael Green ended the scoring drought after he drove through his defender to bring his team back into the game. The team ended the quarter after Travon Ray stripped the Sanger guard and scored the easy coast-to-coast layup.

The second half started much like the first quarter. The Coyotes came out with intent in the third quarter after Vaughn and Ray scored to give the Coyotes a boost.

The Apaches and Coyotes battled back and forth in the third quarter to take the lead. At the end of the quarter, Arthur Flores and Green capitalized on tough layups to end the quarter on a short run.

The fourth quarter saw the Apaches capitalize on the Coyote miscues. Although the Coyotes continued to play well offensively, they couldn’t hit the shots that mattered towards the end. Vaughn scored two of his four fourth quarter points with three minutes left to play.

The Apaches took control of the game after they hit consecutive 3-pointers to push the lead beyond the Coyotes reach. The Coyotes tried to bring themselves back, but were unable to do so after the turning the ball over on multiple possessions with less than a minute remaining.

The Coyotes had the last shot of the game, but were unable to convert in the loss.