MINDEN - It was simply a case of too much Curtis Johnson.
Johnson, South Lake Tahoe's 6-foot-8 center poured in 34 points, including seven in the second overtime, to lead the Vikings to a thrilling 70-66 win over Douglas Saturday night.
The Vikings, who played without senior forward Niko Klansek, upped their record to 5-6, and kept them alive for the fourth and final Sierra League playoff spot. The loss eliminated the 2-8 Tigers from post-season consideration.
The game was tied at 53 at the end of regulation, and at 60 after the first overtime. Johnson carried the load in the two extra periods, scoring 12 of his team's 17 points.
"Curtis had a great game," South Lake Tahoe coach Derek Allister said. "No one expected us to win two games this weekend without Niko. You have to credit the kids and their toughness.
"We're a better team than when we played them the last time. We got a little lucky tonight. Douglas played hard and tough. They didn't give up."
The gritty Tigers may not have given up, but they certainly let one slip away, missing free throws and rushing shots at the end of regulation and the two overtime periods.
Douglas had a shot to win the game in regulation after Johnson missed the front end of a bonus situation with 27.6 left with the score tied at 53.
The Tigers called timeout to set up a last shot, but the strategizing went up in flames when Chris Honer misfired from 17 feet.
"We wanted to put the ball in Luke's (Rippee) hands and let him create," Lewis said. "It wasn't necessarily a bad shot for Chris. He's hit those before."
Douglas went ahead 59-58 on Travis Stuman's basket. After the Vikings misfired, Douglas could have run out the clock without taking a shot. Instead, Stuman misfired on a three-point attempt.
Johnson scored on a layup with 27.4 left to give the Vikes a 60-59 lead. Nick Summers drew a foul on Johnson with 9.0 left. Summers hit only one of two, tying the game at 60.
Tahoe had a chance to get off a final shot, but Chris Honer intercepted a pass intended for Johnson, and Rippee was fouled in the backcourt at the buzzer.
Rippee, who earlier won a game this year from the foul line, misfired on the front end of a bonus situation, forcing the game into a second overtime.
DOUGLAS 67, SOUTH TAHOE 25
The Lady Tigers (6-4) tuned up for their Tuesday showdown with Wooster with an easy victory over the last-place Vikings.
Douglas, thanks to 10 first-quarter turnovers, trailed 8-4 after the first eight minutes.
However, coach Werner Christen's club outscored the Vikings 48-10 over the next two periods to gain control of the contest.
Douglas' 27-point third quarter was highlighted by a 22-2 run in the final 5:19 of the third period. Julie Gingrich and Emily Haas led the onslaught with seven points apiece in the quarter.
Haas led the Tigers with 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Kayla Dunn was next with 11. Gingrich finished with nine, and Tammy Gough added eight.
