Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Holden Iverson, Bo Walter, Corbyn Neilsen, Levi Hardung and Sean DeVore were all honored at Odessa's Varsity Basketball Senior Night on Saturday, Jan. 25.
ODESSA - The Odessa Tigers' boys basketball season ended, as they fell short of qualifying for the district playoffs.
Despite a season marked by tough competition, head coach Mike Carlquist reflected on both the challenges and highlights of the year in his final season at the helm.
"We lost to Selkirk and Lacrosse, so we're done," Carlquist said. "Our league was pretty good. I wish we were 25 miles east because their league is not as tough. There were a lot of good teams and a lot of good players."
One of the high points of the season came in a thrilling comeback against Springdale, where Odessa found themselves down by four with just 40 seconds left. However, the Tigers managed to pull off a dramatic victory.
"I wish we could have built more momentum from that game," Carlquist added. "It was one of those moments that showed what these kids were capable of."
The Tigers' final game on Saturday, February 2, was a tough loss to Middletown, 101-98, despite scoring their highest point total of the season.
Odessa averaged 56.8 points per game over their final four losses at home, but those offensive efforts weren't enough to push them past the Islanders, who had been on a five-game losing streak before the win.
"Our five seniors made coaching fun, and they are really good people," Carlquist said. "It's now over. It was good."
Odessa finished with a record of 7-14 and ranked #9 in the 1B Northeast standings, just below Selkirk but above Republic, according to Maxpreps sports.
Carlquist, who has coached for 42 years, announced that this would be his final season as head coach.
"I've done it long enough. It's time for a break," Carlquist said. "I plan to travel more and do nothing for a while."
While Odessa will miss the leadership of their senior players, Holden Iverson, Bo Walter, Corbyn Neilsen, Levi Hardung and Sean DeVore, Carlquist remains optimistic about the future of the program.
"They have some good kids coming back," he noted.
The school has yet to announce who will replace Carlquist as head coach.
Olivia Harnack is the award-winning managing editor/photographer/videographer/columnist at the Lincoln County Record-Times, with offices in both Davenport and Odessa, Wash. She is a University of Idaho graduate and a U.S. Army National Guardsman.
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