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The Packer boys basketball team made a strong push in the late minutes, but they ended up one possession short as they lost to Rochester John Marshall 68-66 in Packer Gym Friday.

Austin (5-11 overall) trailed 56-38 halfway through the second half, but the Packers eventually found their shot and they pulled to within 67-63 after Peyton Ransom converted a lay-up with 30.4 seconds left.

JM missed a pair of free throws on its next possession, but Austin sophomore Cole Hebrink missed two three-pointers that would’ve brought Austin within one with under 30 seconds left. Hebrink, who scored 18 points, drained a baseline three as time expired to bring Austin within two.

“We’ve never really liked JM and we just really wanted to beat them,” Hebrink said. “Our student section helped a lot and they picked up our energy. We started hitting shots and finding open teammates and we built off that.”

Sophomore J’Dan Stevens nailed five three-pointers for the Packers, including one that brought them within 66-61 with 47.4 seconds left.

Austin head coach Jamaal Gibson liked the fight his team showed in the comeback, but he didn’t like how they trailed 42-24 at halftime.

“Multiple times this year we’ve been too tired to battle back. Tonight we showed that we do have enough depth to play hard and we didn’t quit,” Gibson said. “We had a couple of games this week, where we got down early and it did feel like we might have quit. But we can’t just allow ourselves to get down like that in the first place, we’re too good for that to happen. We’re learning.”

Hebrink scored the first seven points of the night for Austin as they led 7-3 early on, but JM bounced back to go up 21-11. Austin pulled within 24-21 on a three by Stevens, but the Rockets closed the first half on an 18-3 run.

“I messed up with a couple of lineups and it was tough because we had some guys who were playing well that had two fouls,” Gibson said. “You’re caught between a rock and a hard place if you’re going to give them a chance to pick up a third foul or put them on the bench. I picked the hard place that allowed them to go for a run and at the end of the day, that’s going to be something that keeps me up all night.”

Isaac Osgood had eight points and seven rebounds for the Packers and Ransom finished with 16 points and four assists.

Hebrink said Austin’s seniors have been crucial in helping him grow into a varsity player.

“There are so many fast guys out there. (Isaac) Osgood, Peyton (Ransom), Jackson (Clausman) and Dakota (Retterath) all help me out,” Hebrink said. “They’ve all been really good. Whenever I miss a shot, Dakota always helps me stay up.”

Chan Malith led JM (8-6 overall) with 23 points.

The Rockets beat Austin 67-51 on Dec. 7.

JM 42  26  –  68

Austin 24  42  –  66

Austin scoring: Cole Hebrink, 18; Peyton Ransom, 16; J’Dan Stevens, 15; Isaac Osgood, 8; Micah Christopherson, 5; Dakota Retterath, 4