ASHLAND, Ore. – Cory Johnson hit three straight free-throws with one-tenth of a second on the clock, lifting No. 6-seed Bushnell to an improbable 71-70 win over No. 3-seed Southern Oregon University in the quarterfinal round of the Cascade Conference Championships presented by U.S. Bank on Tuesday.
 
Trailing by two points with under two seconds left, Johnson rebounded an intentionally missed free throw by Southern Oregon and drew a foul across the arm as he attempted a desperation heave from 85-feet. 
 
It was another classic between the Beacons and Raiders as Bushnell wins their first playoff game since 2017. The teams battled through four lead changes and five ties, but Southern Oregon found themselves ahead by five, 70-65 with under a minute to play. A Squeeky Johnson three-pointer brought the Beacons within two points, and a fruitless possession by SOU set them up for a final possession.
 
Bushnell was also unsuccessful, as Bunn missed a game-tying layup attempt with three seconds remaining. Bushnell quickly fouled and Southern Oregon missed their first free-throw attempt with 1.2 seconds remaining, setting up the final sequence.
 
"Our guys never stopped believing," said Head Coach Eddie Alexander. "Cory has been on a roll and the work he puts in has continued to payoff. He has truly been top-two in our program in the past eight years as the hardest worker every year, along with his former teammate Kaden Sand. These guys deserve this more than anyone knows. To God be all the glory!"
 
The Beacons (14-14) shot 47% in the game and never led by more than four points in the contest. Bushnell was outscored 19-6 on second chance points, but owned a 32-28 margin in the paint.
 
Johnson, the two-time reigning CCC Player of the Week, finished with a game-high 25 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. It was his fifth straight game with at least 24. "It was a dream come true, knowing I had the opportunity at the end to win the game for my team," said Johnson. "It is an amazing feeling to win a CCC playoff game as I know how much time and effort out whole team has put in for months."
 
Squeeky Johnson, Kaleb Burnett, and Ashton Harvey added 12 points apiece for the Beacons in the victory.
 
Southern Oregon (17-12) also had four players in double-figures, led by 17 from Elijah Jackson. Jace Anderson added 13 points and nine rebounds.  The Raiders had previously won seven consecutive quarterfinal games and were the only team other than The College of Idaho to advance to the semis every year since 2018.  
 
UP NEXT: The Beacon victory, along with an upset for No. 7-seed Corban University over No. 2-seed Eastern Oregon, sets up a return home for Bushnell, as they will play host to Corban on Saturday, February 28 at 7:00 pm in the CCC Semifinals.