TORRINGTON – A bucket by Jordan Malm near the three-point line at the buzzer was ruled a two-pointer, handing the Torrington Trailblazers a 64-63 loss Thursday against third-ranked Riverton.

“I was very happy with how we handled the last seconds of the game,” coach Neil Baker said. “We got two good shots and Jordan knew he had to get back to the three-point line and we thought he did for a second.”

The Wolverines started the game hot, scoring the first eight points of the game, and they went on to lead Torrington 23-16 after the first eight minutes of action. Malm and the rest of the Blazers began trimming away at the lead in the second quarter, with five points in a row by Malm to cut the lead to 32-28 with 1:28 to go before halftime. By intermission, Torrington only trailed 34-32.

In the third quarter, a basket by Malm tied the score at 37 and a three-pointer by Bo Moorehouse gave Torrington a 40-37 advantage with 5:45 to go in the third. The Wolverines went on an 11-0 run, including two three-pointer, to take a 48-40 lead and they expanded on that lead, giving Torrington a 53-44 deficit at the end of the third.

The deficit was still nine points with five minutes to go in the contest, but the home team began their rally. A three by Bryan Lemmon cut the lead to 57-51 with 2:46 to go. A few possessions later, Malm hit a layup, but missed the and-one, putting Torrington behind 59-57 with 1:16 on the clock. Riverton scored with less than a minute, but Lemmon quickly responded with a layup, putting the score at 61-59 with 0:45 remaining.

Returning to the floor after a Torrington timeout, the Wolverines had a trip to the free-throw line, where they hit 1-of-2, putting the score at 62-59. Lemmon was fouled on the ensuing possession but missed the front end of the one-and-one, with Riverton coming up with the board. The Wolverines had an overthrown pass down the floor, returning the ball back to Torrington. Lemmon raced down the floor to knock down another layup to cut the lead to one (62-61) with 0:22 to go.

“We battled back several times against what may be the best team in the state,” Baker said. “Their size caused us some problems, but we kept fighting back and made big shots late to give ourselves a chance to win.”

After another Torrington timeout, Jared Lemmon came up with a steal for Torrington, but the Blazers immediately turned the ball back over and sent Riverton to the charity stripe again, where it knocked down both free-throws with around 10 seconds left on the clock. On the final possession, Moorehouse squared up for a three that bounced off the rim. Malm wound up with the ball and took a step back and took his shot, but not from behind the line, giving Torrington the loss.

Malm turned in a game-high 25 points, just edging out Riverton’s Trenton Paxton, who knocked down five three-pointers and ended with 24 points.

Bryan Lemmon amassed 13 points, while Moorehouse and Jared Lemmon each kicked in eight points. Jared Lemmon finished with a team-high nine boards, while Bryan Lemmon added five and Malm and Moorehouse combined for five. Moorehouse also had four assists and four steals. Bryan Lemmon led the Blazers with five steals.

Stitt, Devin Flores and Josh Posten all turned in three points apiece. Stitt had four rebounds and a team-high six assists, while Posten finished with two boards. Ryan Johnson finishing with the final rebound.

Torrington now holds a 3-2 record on the young season. The Blazers hit the road Thursday to compete in the Sidney, Neb. Invite that wraps up on Saturday.

“Even in a loss, this game should give us confidence as we head into the rest of our season,” Baker said.