GREEN RIVER — The Evanston High School boys’ basketball team has gotten accustomed to playing in close games early this season.

And the Red Devils have also gotten accustomed to winning them.

Evanston, ranked fifth in Class 4A, improved to 5-1 on Saturday after holding off Westside (Idaho) in the final two minutes for a 68-64 win in the last round of the Flaming Gorge Classic at Lincoln Middle School. 

“In our six games, it’s always tight at the end, no matter how much we have a chance to gap a game,” Evanston coach Lex Cornia said. 

Evanston hasn’t had a win decided by double figures this season. Three games have been decided by four points or less. 

But the Red Devils, who also claimed a 56-46 win against Thunder Basin on Thursday and a 64-57 win against Pinedale on Friday, find ways to get the job done.

“Yeah, it’s definitely closer than what I wanted against Westside, but having that game get cut to two was probably better than winning by 17 — although my health would appreciate a 17-point win here and there,” Cornia said.

Evanston held a 62-47 lead with 2:10 to play in the fourth quarter following a reverse layup by Chandler Anderson. 

The Red Devils went to their bench to close the game out, but Westside wasn’t done fighting. 

“We let those guys play through it,” Cornia said. “They’ve got to learn, and I think they did. They made some mistakes they won’t make in later games. We want to have 10 guys that can step on the floor, respond, know the situation and play.  

“State tournaments are not won with five guys. They’re won with eight, nine, ten players that can get out in situations and stay composed and play ball. That’s part of the process.”

Westside finished the game on a 17-6 run and even cut the game to two points with three seconds to play. During the final 2:10, Westside knocked down three 3-pointers and eight free throws.

“It was a little scary at the end,” said Evanston senior Braxton Hiatt, who finished with 23 points. “Westfield was hitting their shots and they were deep. I wouldn’t have gone out on them either.”

Evanston had a 20-13 lead at the end of the first quarter. Westside took its only lead of the game with 4:55 left in the second quarter, but the Red Devils had a strong finish to the first half. 

Evanston held a 29-27 lead with less than a minute to play. Anderson had a dunk with 20 seconds left in the half, and recorded a block on the other end of the floor. The Red Devils missed their ensuing shot, but Hiatt recorded a steal and hit a layup as the buzzer sounded to give Evanston a 33-27 halftime lead. 

“We were on our tippy toes going into the locker room,” Hiatt said. “We were excited. I think that kind of fueled our return in the third quarter.”

A dunk by Hiatt with 6:06 left in the third gave Evanston a 40-28 lead. Westside cut its deficit to six with just over three minutes to play. 

But Seth Macdonald, a 6-foot reserve player, gave Evanston another spark with a Jordanesque, one-handed dunk in the open court. Macdonald followed shortly after with a putback that gave the Red Devils a 10-point lead with 1:50 left in the third. 

“Oh my gosh,” Hiatt said. “That’s him. That’s typical Seth. He’s got some springs in his legs.”

Evanston took a 57-43 lead, its largest of the game, with 4:01 to play in the fourth quarter on a lob shot from Ethan Johnson to Hiatt.

A Westfield player was called for a technical foul with 3:23 to play in the final period. Chase Critchfield knocked down both free throws to give the Red Devils another 16-point lead. 

“I feel like we did really good coming off our first tournament of the year,” said Critchfield, who finished with 19 points in the game. “I think going 3-0 (at the Flaming Gorge Classic) is going to help us out. I’m glad we got to see some good competition. That will prepare us for bigger games to come.”

Hiatt led Evanston with 72 total points at the Flaming Gorge Classic. Critchfield was second with 53 points in the three-game tournament.

“I’m a teacher, so I give grades,” Cornia said. “I’d probably give us a B. But that’s all right. We’re learning. We did some things very well and we got better at some things.

“We haven’t played any soft teams. Even these smaller schools, they’re salty. They play hard and they’ve got a lot of pride and tradition. Everything has been competitive, and that’s what gets you ready for March.”

The Red Devils’ lone loss this year came in the season opener when Laramie (No. 2 Class 4A) came away with a 62-54 win.

Evanston is back in action Jan. 4-6 at the Cheyenne tournament.

“I think we had more confidence now than we originally did,” Hiatt said. “We’re excited for Cheyenne.”