Savage Heat win in OT

SEELEY LAKE – The Savage Heat went on the road last Friday and found themselves in a shootout with the Blackhawks of Seeley-Swan.

Through four quarters of regulation the game was tied at 53-53, and it wasn’t until the conclusion of one overtime period that Hot Springs came out on top 60-58.

The Class C matchup started out with offensive output from both sides.

At the end of one quarter of play Seeley-Swan held the narrow 14-11 advantage.

The game would become deadlocked over the next two quarters, with both teams scoring ten points in the second quarter.

Opening the second half the teams’ again split the frame with both squads totaling 14 points of offense.

Entering the fourth and final quarter of regulation the Blackhawks held a 38-35 lead over the Savage Heat.

Hot Springs found their stride over the game’s final minutes and outscored Seeley-Swan 18-15 in the fourth to tie the game and send the competition into overtime.

Outscoring the Blackhawks 7-5 in the first and only overtime quarter the Savage Heat secured a hard fought win to improve to 10-4 on the season.

Sophomore guard Trevor Paro provided the spark for the Hot Springs offense and ended the five quarters of play with 25 points.

Savage Heat senior forward Nate Gray also had a productive night on the offensive side of the court, ending the game with ten points.

The win over Seeley-Swan wasn’t the only road victory for Hot Springs last week as the team also traveled to play the Superior Bobcats last Thursday.

In a close game the Savage Heat were able to win 41-34 in Mineral County.

The Savage Heat played stellar defense throughout the contest holding the Bobcats to single digit scoring numbers in three of the game’s four quarters.

Hot Springs gained an early advantage in the game, going up 13-7 after one quarter of play.

The Savage Heat built on their lead in the second quarter and went into half time leading 18-12.

Superior came out strong in the opening quarter of the second half and cut the Hot Springs lead to 28-25 at the start of the game’s final frame.

During the fourth quarter the Savage Heat responded, outscoring Superior 13-9 to secure the seven-point win.

Gray led the Hot Springs offense in the District 14-C game with 16 points of offense.

Paro ended the game with 13 total points.

Up next for the Savage Heat will be a road game against the Noxon Red Devils on Friday, Feb. 6.

Following the away game with Noxon, Hot Springs will return home to host the Plains Horsemen on Saturday, Feb. 8.