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PASCO -- Andre Griffin could feel his final regular-season home game in a Pasco uniform slipping away.
Down eight to Wenatchee with five minutes left, the senior guard felt it was imperative for him to do something to shake things up.
Griffin drove to the basket on three out of four possessions, each time flipping up a circus shot that went in.
The last one turned into a three-point play that put Pasco ahead to stay with 2:15 left, and the Bulldogs went on to a 70-64 victory.
"I could tell the game was getting a little dead, and I wanted to spark up the crowd," said Griffin, who finished with 11 points and four steals. "I also was frustrated that I had four fouls, and I needed to do something special for myself to prove that I could do something for the team my senior year."
Griffin's heroics sparked a game-ending 19-5 run for the Bulldogs in a game marked by wild momentum swings.
"Those three scoop shots, when he hit them, you could tell in our demeanor, the kids believed they could do it," said Pasco coach Chad Herron. "It carried over to our defense and carried us the rest of the game."
The game meant nothing in the CBBN Columbia standings -- the 10th-ranked Panthers (12-7, 10-1) already had the title wrapped up, while the Bulldogs (13-7, 9-3) were locked into the No. 2 district seed -- but meant everything in terms of Pasco pride.
"We didn't want them to be the only undefeated team," said senior James Negron, who scored nine of his 14 points in the fourth quarter. "And we didn't want to get swept."
Griffin got Pasco the lead, but the Bulldogs sealed the win at the foul line, hitting their last eight while Wenatchee went 3-for-8 in the final 2 1/2 minutes.
The Panthers were within 64-62 with 1:30 left, but Pasco was able to run 53 seconds off the clock before Negron was fouled and hit a pair of free throws.
Wenatchee then missed two foul shots, and Jeramie Streicher hit four at the line to ice the Bulldogs' seventh win in eight games since losing at Wenatchee a month ago.
"This gives us a big confidence boost going into next Saturday," said Griffin, whose team will play host to Richland or Walla Walla in the first round of the district playoffs. "I'm looking forward to it."
Wenatchee opened the game on fire, hitting its first four shots and building a 10-0 lead.
Pasco answered with a blistering 25-4 run, marked by a stretch of six straight Wenatchee turnovers and 12 during the run that the Bulldogs converted for 20 points.
The Bulldogs led 35-26 at halftime, but the Panthers opened the second half on a 10-0 run to regain the lead, then later went on a 13-0 run to grab a 49-40 lead.
The lead was still at 59-51 when the Bulldogs put on their closing sprint.
"It may be fun to watch, but it's not as much fun to coach," Herron said. "The third quarter, they did a good job of establishing their inside game, but in the fourth, we were able to push them away from the basket and make them handle the ball against our pressure."
The Bulldogs had five players in double figures, led by Anthony Scales' 17 points. Streicher added 13 and Robert Montano 12.
Connor Smith had a game-high 22 points and nine rebounds for Wenatchee.
Pasco 70, Wenatchee 64
WENATCHEE (64)
Connor Smith 22, Reese 13, Bryan 12, Martin, Freund 4, Helm 5, Borrelli 3, Herron 5, Helton, Arndt. Totals 23-42 13-22 64.
PASCO (70)
Anthony Scales 17, Uvay 3, Griffin 11, Montano 12, Streicher 13, Perez, Negron 14, Villafan. Totals 24-60 16-20 70.
Wenatchee 14 12 23 15 -- 64
Pasco 22 13 8 27 -- 70
Highlights -- Wen 5x13 3pt, Pas 6x25; Wen 36 rebs, Pas 21; Wen 20 TOs, Pas 6; Smith 9 rbs, 5 blks; Robert Montano 5 rbs, 6 asts, 4 stls; Andre Griffin 5 rbs, 4 stls.
