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<< Previous   of   Next >> Jennifer Buchanan / The Herald  (click to enlarge) Snohomish County guard Rashaad Powell (99) vies for a loose ball with Central Oregon’s Cliff White in the Explosion’s 119-116 loss.   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Report scores and results to 425-339-3470 or 1-866-6-SCORES (Call after 4:30 p.m.) E-mail information including items for Tuesday's Communities Sports Roundup and Thursday's Outdoor Calendar, to sports@heraldnet.com Kevin Brown, Sports Editor kbrown@heraldnet.com   Published: Saturday, June 28, 2008 Explosion: One and done Central Oregon rallies to knock out Snohomish County out of the IBL Western Conference Tournament By Bob Mortenson Herald Writer MONROE -- This was an Explosion implosion of epic proportions. Diminutive point guard Chris Nixon poured in seven 3-pointers and 30 total points to lead the Central Oregon Hotshots to a stunning 119-116 come-from-behind upset victory over the Snohomish County Explosion in the first round of the International Basketball League Western Conference tournament at Monroe High School Saturday night. The undermanned and undersized Hotshots -- who used just seven players and came back from double-digit deficits in each quarter -- move on to face Vancouver (17-6) in tonight's semifinals, despite having the worst record in the tournament (9-16). "I really don't consider it an upset," said Central Oregon coach Mikal Duilio who is also the IBL commissioner. "We were a lot better team than (the Explosion) realized. We came up here and lost twice, and when we got down by 18 (in the first quarter) they might have thought this was the old Central Oregon team. But, we're not ... we've gotten a lot better." It was a shocking end to an up-and-down season for Snohomish County (14-10), which still harbored high hopes of winning the IBL championship with the late-season return of Rashaad Powell and Justin Murray to the squad. "If you let a team hang around like that they'll always come out and be successful," Explosion coach Randy Redwine lamented. "We just didn't execute and you get this result." Nixon was the Hotshots' catalyst, including in their comeback from a 93-82 deficit entering the final quarter. "We relied on chemistry and heart," Nixon said. "Basically we had to keep fighting. We just chipped away and made it a game." After spurring a second quarter comeback with four 3-pointers, Nixon made back-to-back 3's midway through the fourth quarter to hack the Explosion's lead to four points. Cliff White's breakaway lay-in with 3:40 remaining gave Central Oregon a 112-111 lead, just its second advantage of the game (White had 25 points and his 3-pointer midway into the third quarter had provided the first Hotshots lead. Snohomish County led 116-115 with 1:52 to play after a Justin James bucket, but could not score again. Shawn Hampton forced in a shot off the glass with 1:39 to play to give Central Oregon a one-point lead. A critical offensive charge called on Jamal Miller with 40.5 seconds remaining proved costly. Jadae Bonds (22 points, 10 rebounds) iced the victory with a pair of free throws with 8.2 seconds to play. Snohomish County had a final possession needing a 3-pointer. Rashaad Powell, who led the Explosion with 27 points, drove into the lane looking to pass to someone on the wing. Instead, Nixon stripped the ball and the Hotshots celebrated a victory that left the small crowd stunned. "I was just hoping he wouldn't kick it out because my man (Chris Weakley) was open," Nixon said. Powell echoed his coach. "It's part coaching and part playing," Powell said. "You let a team hang around and the proof is in the pudding. We're a good team ... (Central Oregon) is a good team. There were questionable calls going down the stretch. But, that's what happens (in close games) and you just have to deal with that." Justin James added 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Explosion. Justin Murray led the team with 12 boards, but scored just eight points after averaging 35 in three games over the last two weeks. Donny Woods added 13 points and 10 boards for the Hotshots. At Monroe H.S. Central Oregon 19 34 29 37 -- 119 Snohomish Co. 35 21 37 23 -- 116 Central Oregon -- Bonds 22, Woods 13, Hampton 8, Nixon 30, White 25, Lamb 12, Espinoza 9. Snohomish Co. -- James 16, Murray 8, Gwynn 15, Powell 27, Weakley 13, Miller 4, Boyle 5, Watts 14, Hendricks 7, Jones 4, Adediran 3. 3-point goals -- Woods 1, Nixon 7, White 3, Espinoza 3, Powell 1, Weakley 3, Boyle 1, Hendricks 1. Records -- Central Oregon 8-16, Snohomish Co. 14-9. Attendance -- Not announced.

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