HIDALGO, Texas -- The Tri-Cities Fever is typically a country mile from victory in the closing minutes of its games this season.
On Saturday night, the Fever came within an arm's length.
Tri-City quarterback Colin Drafts had his pass tipped and then intercepted in the final minute as a Tri-Cities' rally fell short, losing 44-37 to the Rio Grande Valley Dorados at Dodge Arena.
"It's so disappointing," said Fever coach Pat O'Hara, "especially when you thought this was a winnable game."
It was the Fever's 12th straight road loss and left the team 0-8 away from Toyota Center this season.
The young Fever (2-13) team has one more chance for a victory this season next Saturday at home against a depleted Central Valley (3-12) team.
The Coyotes go for the three-game season sweep in what could be the Fever franchise's final game.
Team owner Doug Mac-Gregor has said that he will fold the team if he cannot find local investors by the end of the summer. Although there has been some interest in buying the team, nothing has materialized as of yet.
The Fever, which trailed by as many as 17 points in the second half, slowly worked its way back in the game thanks timely interceptions by Chris Hemphill and Jamie Hattley in the red zone.
Hemphill picked off former Fever quarterback Josh Kellett late in the third quarter and went 47 untouched yards for a touchdown to cut the margin to 37-30. It was Hemphill's third straight game with an interception.
After the two teams traded scores, Hattley picked off Kellett at the Fever 2-yard line with under five minutes left in the game, giving the Tri-Cities a chance to tie the game.
But on second down from the Rio Grande Valley (8-7) 11-yard line, Drafts had his pass intercepted on second down, all but ending a chance for a Fever come back.
"Our guys played hard," O'Hara said. "I am proud of their effort."
The Fever nearly played itself out of the game in the first half. After scoring on its initial drive of the game, Tri-Cities fell apart. The Fever fumbled the ball away twice -- once in the red zone, missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked.
That led to a 30-13 deficit at halftime with the Dorados starting the second half with the ball on offense. But the Fever defense would not allow the lead to get any bigger.
The Dorados' only score of the third quarter came on a 49-yard kickoff return by Travis McAlpine that extended the lead back to 17 at 37-20.
Rio Grande Valley's only offensive touchdown in the second half came when Kellett hit Rod Windsor with 9:52 left in the game to make the score 44-30. On the eight-play drive, Rio Grande Valley converted on two fourth downs, including the touchdown which came on a fourth-and-10.
"Our defense played good enough to win," O'Hara said.
Similar stories:
Bet on this: Vegas loves Super Bowl Sunday
Bet on this: Vegas loves Super Bowl Sunday
Today's Super Bowl is expected to be the most bet-on sporting event ever for Nevada's sports books.
According to bleacherreport.com, the Nevada Gaming Control Board expects total wagers on today's game between the New England Patriots and New York Giants (kickoff at 3:30 p.m. on NBC) to exceed the record of $94,534,370 that was bet on Super Bowl XL -- which coincidentally was the Seahawks-Steelers title game a few years ago.
And after my friend Matt brought back the betting sheet from MGM Resorts last weekend, it's easy to see why.
Bowling Green rolls through Idaho 32-15
Bowling Green rolls through Idaho 32-15
MOSCOW, Idaho -- Matt Schilz and Eugene Cooper connected for two touchdown passes in the first quarter and Bowling Green rolled to a 32-15 victory over Idaho Thursday night in the teams' season opener.
Schilz found Cooper for scoring passes of 76 and 24 yards to lift the Falcons to a 14-7 lead. The Vandals had scored first on Brian Reader's 5-yard TD pass to Mike LaGrone.
Anthony Samuel ran for 141 yards and a touchdown for Bowling Green. The Falcons led 30-7 at halftime and ran the clock for most of the rest of the way, owning better than a 2-1 edge in time of possession for the game. Idaho managed just 52 rushing yards.
Cougs can't hang on vs. Aztecs
Cougs can't hang on vs. Aztecs
SAN DIEGO -- After winning its first two games impressively, Washington State wanted to prove those wins weren't flukes.
Following an impressive first half, Washington State fell flat in the second half in a 42-24 loss to San Diego State on Saturday.
"We have to play hard for four quarters, throughout the whole game," said receiver Marquees Wilson. "We didn't do that."
Morgan scores late as Solo sits in exhibition
Morgan scores late as Solo sits in exhibition
FRISCO, Texas -- Alex Morgan tied it in the 88th minute and added the winner just before the final whistle in stoppage time to give the U.S. women's soccer team a dramatic 2-1 victory over New Zealand on Saturday in a chilly exhibition game at FC Dallas Stadium.
In stoppage time with the temperature around freezing, Rachel Buehler delivered a cross from the left wing into the middle, where Abby Wambach headed it high in the air. Morgan got under it about 6 yards in front of the net and headed it off the right post and in for the winner.
"It was a great ending. I think that we really pushed to the end, to the final whistle," said Morgan, who has four goals in her last two games. "We didn't want to come away with a loss, especially on home turf, so we definitely played it out to the end. Thank goodness we won."
WSU's new hire tops memorable year in Mid-Columbia
WSU's new hire tops memorable year in Mid-Columbia
Has another year gone by already?
Time does seem to fly when you're watching sports, and the Mid-Columbia has certainly done it's share to fill the news cycle during 2011.
A couple of local athletes made a splash on the national stage, and all three Tri-Cities' sports franchises made a push for league championships. A few high school teams reached the pinnacle of their sport by winning state titles.
Print
Email Story
