Normally, the term “warm up the bus” is associated as a negative statement when it comes to high school basketball.

Not to the Grand Junction High boys team. Rather, it’s music to the Tigers’ ears.

Friday’s thrilling 64-60 overtime win against Smoky Hill has Grand Junction on the road this week.

On Wednesday, Grand Junction will be at Colorado Mines’ Lockridge Arena for a Class 5A Sweet 16 game against Regis, who upset 21-2 Poudre 57-52.

While the buzz will center on Wednesday’s contest, it won’t lessen the discussion any when it comes to Friday’s win.

Whenever the Tigers needed a big play against the upset-minded Buffaloes, Grand Junction found a method.

When Grand Junction needed a 3-pointer, Doug Brady would respond.

If the situation called for defense, the Tigers held Smoky Hill scoreless for five-plus minutes in the fourth quarter.

When the game was extended to overtime on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Smoky Hill guard Ryan Perry, Everett Robinson sank a critical free throw to put the Tigers in the lead for good.

The junior’s shot sparked a mini-run in which Grand Junction’s slim 54-53 lead rose to 58-53 when leading scorer Geoff Baldwin whipped in a set of back-to-back field goals on feeds from Brady and Robinson.

Calvin Rock calmed the frazzled nerves of a packed Tiger Den when he blocked Leon Whittington’s shot with 23.7 seconds left to maintain a three-point lead.

Twenty-one lengthy seconds later, Tigers guard Justin Trujillo iced the game with a pair of successful free throws after a desperate Smoky Hill foul.

“I was just thinking about my routine and how I do every day,” Trujillo said as he toed the free-throw line. “I just didn’t make it a big deal. I just did it for my team. This is the best feeling I’ve ever had in my life.”

Johnson’s response: “It was huge.”

It fit everything the Tigers did in the game.

Especially when it looked like they were going in the tank early. Very early.

Smoky Hill held a 12-0 lead at the four-minute mark of the first quarter. And the Tigers appeared to have no answer for an offense that missed its their first seven shots before Baldwin hit a bucket with 2:28 left.

Robinson pulled Grand Junction within two points before the period ended; Smoky Hill guard Phil Hill’s 3-pointer at the buzzer diluted the comeback.

Enter Brady.

The senior forward had two of the Tigers 3-pointers to start the next quarter to give Grand Junction a short-lived 19-18 lead before the Buffaloes rallied back to a 30-25 advantage at halftime.

Matters remained gloomy at best in the third when a 7-2 Smoky Hill run extended their lead to 37-27 when Baldwin, who finished as the game’s leading scorer, halted the run with a basket.

Baldwin ended the night with 22 points and also led the Tigers with seven rebounds.

Down 43-36 entering the final eight minutes of regulation, Grand Junction turned the defensive pressure up a notch.

“Our half-court defense was good,” said Johnson. “I think they were getting frustrated because they weren’t getting the normal shots. I think our defense was the reason why they went helter-skelter.”

It showed. The confident Buffs went ice cold.

Kevin Carter scored at the six-minute mark. Smoky Hill’s next field goal came with 1:11 left in the fourth. In between, the Tigers cruised in to pull ahead by three.

After Leon Whittington cut the lead to 50-49, Two Robinson free throws pushed Grand Junction to a 52-49 advantage with 12.9 seconds left.

Just enough time for Perry to knot the game at 52-52.

Both teams started overtime by exchanging free throws. Until Robinson’s sank in the second of two opportunities on the next possession.

While the Tigers never trailed for the remaining 2:29, Smoky Hill whittled the lead down to a point on a Xavier Howard 3-point play after a Robinson shooting foul inside the final minute.

Reach Phil Sandoval at psandoval@gjfreepress.com.