After a 70-62 comeback win for Park, head coach Dave Breitenbucher said the end of the first half came with struggles making the comeback more difficult. 

“In the first half we turned the ball over a few times, especially in the last five minutes. Cooper started turning up the heat and we panicked,” Breitenbucher said. “We had a lead and then we let it go at the end of the first half.”

Senior Blake Anderson said Park focused on minimizing turnovers and making good passes in the second half to counteract their first half woes.

“Our second half plan was to break Cooper’s press by passing, not just dribbling,” Anderson said. “Dribbling through the press is how we turn the ball over.”

With 5.1 seconds left in the game, Park was three points away from completing the comeback. Senior Evan Donesky put up a three pointer from the corner and made it, sending the game to overtime. According to Donesky, as soon as he released the shot, he knew it would fall.

“Before the shot I was thinking to myself that I needed to follow through,” Donesky said. “Once I let it go, I knew it was in.” 

According to Anderson, getting to the rim and drawing fouls were the key to completing the comeback in overtime.

“We had to try to attack the rim and get to the free throw line as much as possible,” Anderson said. “It was the same thing that we were trying to do the whole game.”

Breitenbucher said he made sure the game plan stayed the same throughout overtime, leading to the Park win.

“I literally reviewed the exact game plan that we had on the board right before overtime,” Breitenbucher said. “No adjustments were made. None.”

Park is set to face off against Chanhassen at 7 p.m. Jan 26 at Chanhassen High School.