Brock Johnson capped a 32-point night by scoring the final three points of the game as the host Rockets edged the Wildcats in the Trico League opener for both teams.
Johnson made a driving layup with 12 seconds left to give Castle Rock a one-point lead. After La Center failed to score, Johnson added one free throw.
It was a back-and-forth contest that saw La Center lead by as many as nine points in the third quarter and Castle Rock (3-0 overall) by as many as six in the fourth quarter.
Jake Wise, who had 17 points and 10 rebounds, put the Wildcats up 62-61 with free throws with 32 seconds on the clock.
Castle Rock’s Johnson then dribbled around until he found an opening to get to the basket for the go-ahead layup.
“He’s a pretty crafty player,” La Center coach Jeremy Ecklund said, noting that Johnson is excelent with a change-of-pace dribble to get defenders off balance.
Brody Seter scored 17 points for La Center (2-1 overall). Dalton Morgan had 14 points and seven rebounds.
CASTLE ROCK 64, LA CENTER 62
LA CENTER (2-1, 0-1) — Avery Seter 7, Matt Baher 0, Jake Wise 17, Brody Seter 17, Jackson Leslie 5, Jon Eastman 0, Dalton Morgan 14, Jack Hiller 2. Totals 22 (6) 12-20 62.
CASTLE ROCK (3-0, 1-0) — Bryce Desarmo 9, Taite Kleine 7, Brock Johnson 32, Dakota Golden 4, Kyle Koopman 6, Nick Proudfit 6, Parker Patching 0. Totals 24 (6) 10-16 64.
La Center 20 19 8 15–62
CRock 17 15 15 17–64
JV — La Center 52-18.
