DAYTON - Once again, the game was close and the performance not a pretty one. But again, the young Dayton High School boys basketball team found a way to win.
Sophomore forward Brian Lahmann hit a jumper from inside the key with 54 seconds remaining put Dayton on top and the Dust Devils held on for a 50-49 victory against Geyserville, Calif., in opening round play of the Sutro Classic.
The Dust Devils rallied back from a five-point deficit inside the final five minutes to improve their record to 2-0 for the young season. There were some similarities to Dayton's 77-69 win at Wooster on Monday night, a game in which the Dust Devils overcame an 11-point deficit in the second half.
"We fell behind again, but the good part was that we came back," Dayton coach Rob Streeter said. "It was ugly, but I'd rather win ugly than lose pretty."
Justin Daw scored a game-high 25 points, eight of which came in the final quarter to lead Dayton. Sophomores Jake Deen and Lahmann also contributed eight points each, and like Daw, both played key roles down the stretch.
Darren Garner hit a 3-pointer and Richard Halvorsen score on a breakaway layup to give Geyserville a 41-36 lead two minutes into the fourth quarter. It was 44-39 after Joel Jimenez drove the lane for a layup with 4:57 to go.
Then the Dust Devils caught a break when Halvorsen was whistled for a technical foul - for faking a foul as he fought through a screen set by Deen. That sent Halvorsen, a Division I soccer recruit who finished the night with 11 points, to the bench with five personal fouls and turned the momentum of the game.
"I didn't understand why the technical was called. I could see a personal foul, but I questioned the technical," Geyserville coach Brian Long said. "That was big. They got two free throws and the possession of the ball. How worse can it get?"
Daw sank one free throw with 3:35 showing on the clock, and after inbounding the ball, Bob Nylen scored from inside the key to cut Geyserville's lead to 44-42 and tied the score on a putback. Daw also turned a steal underneath his own basket into a layup that gave Dayton a 48-46 lead. Geyserville regained the lead on Allan Pershing's 3-pointer, which set the stage for Lahmann, who took an inside pass from Deen and put in the game-winner.
"That's a good team we beat tonight," Streeter said. "I'd probably have to say they outplayed us, but we got a couple of key stops and finally put the ball in the basket there towards the end."
Garrett Fleming finished with 13 points to lead Geyserville, a team that went 15-14 and qualified for the North Coast Section playoffs last season. Then again, this is a team that lost to Dayton at last year's Sutro Classic, 73-35.
"Not bad for school of 150," Long said. "I was proud of the way our kids played tonight."
Streeter was pleased with the performance of the Dust Devils, who face Smith Valley in the tournament's second round tonight at 7:30 p.m.
"We're pretty young so we're going to have some inconsistencies on the offensive end but we're banking on the defense to get us through the year. Late in the fourth quarter, our defense stepped up, and that got us the win."
