Williamson's block, strong offensive showing seals Owatonna's 64-61 win over Faribault.

The last time the Owatonna boys basketball team faced Faribault, the Huskies came away a 63-60 winner. That was in Faribault back on Jan.13. 
While Tuesday’s night contest would end in regulation, the finish was one for the ages.
Owatonna’s Jason Williamson managed to block a Faribault shot with roughly 10 seconds left and Dalton Kubista added a free throw with 6.9 seconds left as the Huskies (17-6, 15-4 Big Nine) held on to win 64-61 over the Falcons at the OHS gymnasium.
“Credit to Faribault No.1, I thought they played a great game,” commented head coach Josh Williams. “No.2, it wasn’t one of our better games defensively, but we made enough plays to win.”
Owatonna’s offense appeared to be firing on all cylinders after the Falcons scored the first basket of the second half to tie the game 36-36. Guided by the crisp ball movement of senior guard Jay Sullivan and the smooth shooting of junior Dalton Kubista, the Huskies jumped out to a quick 42-39 lead. Sullivan continues to string performances together, finishing the contest with 15 points and six assists. Kubista also finished the game in double figures with 15 points of his own. 
Outside of Williamson game-saving block, the moment the floor shifted in favor of the Huskies was with 3:03 left in the first half.
After Andrew Jackson’s short jumper tied the game 28-28, Williamson was fouled on the ensuing possession on a drive to the basket, generating a three-point play opportunity for the Huskies. Despite missing the free throw, Huskies’ guard Jadyn Gunderson came up with the rebound. After a few cycles of the ball, Sullivan hit a fade away jumper to give Owatonna a 32-28 lead late. Jackson had a strong showing down low for the Huskies, scoring 12 points. 
Much of Owatonna’s success in the second half was generated off of stifling defense and dominating play on the glass. The Huskies hauled in 30 rebounds while the Falcons were limited to just 19, a contributing factor to Owatonna scoring 16 second-chance points. Despite the size the Falcons boasted down low, the Huskies were able to match with length and athleticism.
“Part of our game plan coming in, we didn’t want to let their shooters shoot. We knew they got some kids who can shoot it,” commented Williams. “We were going to leave our post to playing one-on-one and try to score. So, we had to be good inside because we didn’t want to let them get going on the outside.”
After a pair of Alex Raichle free throws, the Huskies held a 58-50 lead midway through the second half. Raichle, who finished the game with 15 points, scored half of his points on a fast-break after registering four steals.
Then Faribault struck.
After a 30-second timeout, the Falcons posted a 9-0 run with Cody Ehlers’ trey in the corner cutting the lead to 58-57. Ehlers finished with a game-high 23 points. Williams noted that a lapse in focus late allowed Faribault to creep back into the game.
“I would have liked to seen us have a little bit more drive and focus to close the game out. It was a time where I think it was the first time all game where we had a little bit of a cushion and I think we kind of let our guard down," he added. 
The Huskies reestablished a four-point lead after Kubista connected on a deep three after missing the initial attempt. Faribault forward Chase Ernste managed to cut the lead to 63-61 after an easy bucket off a turnover prior to Williamson’s block.
Owatonna will be back in action Friday against Austin. Tipoff is set for 7:15 p.m. in Austin. 
Due to an impending storm, there is a possibility that the Huskies’ game could be moved to Thursday. Follow Josh on Twitter (@SCTZimmer) for any possible updates.