SUTTER – The Colfax High boys basketball team’s ability to hit big shots down the stretch proved pivotal here Tuesday night in the first round of the CIF Northern California Regional Div. IV basketball playoffs.

The Falcons, ahead of host Sutter by 20 points at one stage late in the third quarter, needed a trio of key fourth quarter baskets at the most opportune times to help answer three different late runs by the Huskies and help lift the Falcons to a 69-57 win.

The victory by Colfax ups the team’s season record to 27-5 and sends the Falcons on to Thursday’s quarter-final round of play. Colfax will play at No. 1 seed St. Mary’s of Berkeley, the North Coast Section champions, in a game slated to tip off at 7:30 p.m.

For Colfax Tuesday, it was a matter of the Falcons using their hot shooting hand from the floor to help solve Sutter’s 2-3 zone alignment.

But it was Colfax’s knack for knocking down some huge baskets in the fourth stanza which helped wilt any Sutter comeback hopes the Huskies had.

Colfax, which used a 21-9 second quarter point exchange to build a 34-22 lead by halftime, followed seven straight points by Joey Jergo to go on a 14-6 spree to open the third quarter. The Colfax run helped the Falcons build its biggest lead of the evening, 48-28 with 2:51 left in the third quarter.

But Sutter, paced by 6-7 260-pound junior center Isaiah Bohman, used a late third quarter push to cut into the Colfax lead. However, after Colfax's Austin Oberg ended the third quarter with a trey, the Huskies were still down 53-36 with eight minutes left.

That big lead, however, wouldn’t last long.

Sutter opened the final period by using five points from Rocky Khera, a three from Elijah Smith and three free throws from Ben Eisenbarth to shave Colfax’s once seemingly safe cushion to 56-47 with 5:09 to play.

However, Chase Mosier answered Sutter’s surge with a pair of big baskets of his own and after Sutter had trimmed the Falcons advantage to 60-52, Ryan Salmonson converted an old fashioned three-point play with 3:03 to go.

The latter sequence was huge for the Falcons as it boosted Colfax back into a 63-52 lead and also sent Bohman to the sidelines for the evening with his fifth foul.

Salmonson, Colfax’s 6-9 center, and Bohann had a physical battle in the paint going on for most of the evening with a double foul being called on both players at one stage of the final quarter.

Jergo led Colfax with 20 points including 14 in the second half. Salmonson followed with 17 points, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots while Oberg added 11 points which included three treys.

Mosier chipped in with eight points while Justin Witt scored six points and grabbed eight rebounds. Both Kyle Greer and Ben Buell each scored two points in the win.

Bohann finished with 15 points and had 13 rebounds for the Huskies. He was followed by Leszek Ratajczak wityh 13 points. Sutter ends the season with a record of 19-12.