BLOOMFIELD -- Bloomfield could easily be 5-2 entering Christmas break.
However, the Wildcats lost their fourth straight game by four or fewer points Thursday, losing on a layup with one second remaining by Chaffee's Landen Tenkhoff in a 57-55 setback.
"Last four games have been very winnable games," Bloomfield coach Brandon Crook said. "I think the last four games, we've lost by a combined nine points. We've been in our fair share of close games. They haven't been kind to us."
The Red Devils (7-3) drove the length of the court with 6.8 seconds left, and Tenkhoff, who finished with a game-high 21 points, drove the lane for a layup for the game-winner.
The Wildcats (1-6) tied the game at 55 on two free throws by Travis McCullough prior to the final possession.
"Whenever they went to the free-throw line, I told my point guard if he makes it, I want you to push the ball to half court, and I was going to call a timeout," Chaffee coach Josh Govreau said. "Maybe he could get something to Tenkoff at the top of the key, where he can go one-on-one. Well, the inbounds pass happened to go to Tenkoff. So, I just let him go, and he made the play."
Crook wasn't happy that his team didn't stop or at least slow Tenkhoff.
"We'd like to be more aggressive, and we didn't do that," Crook said. "But I think at the same time, we were probably not being aggressive enough because we didn't want to foul in that type of situation."
The Wildcats led by as many as seven points in the first quarter behind a 10-0 run that gave them a 13-6 advantage.
Sophomore Parker Heaton sparked the run with consecutive 3-pointers. After Chaffee's Douglas Lands, who tallied 14 points, scored on a fast-break layup and hit a 3-pointer, Heaton struck again with a 3-pointer to give Bloomfield a 16-11 lead entering the second quarter.
Heaton scored a team-high 20 points, including five 3-pointers. He scored 17 of those points in the first half.
"He had a really good first half," Crook said. "He stepped up big for us. He got some offensive rebounds and knocked down some big shots. He did some things that we're happy to see a sophomore do."
Chaffee opened the second quarter with a 9-3 run to take a 20-19 lead on the second of Lands' four 3-pointers.
Seconds later, the Wildcats recaptured the lead on a basket by Malik Williams, and they closed the half with an 12-1 run to take a 31-21 halftime lead. Heaton scored eight points during that stretch, including a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
"I didn't think we played with very good effort (in the first half)," Govreau said, "so I challenged my kids and said, 'we've got to make plays. You've got to step up and not worry about getting fouled. Just worry about making the play.' "
Bloomfield extended its lead to 36-23 on a 3-pointer by McCullough and a jumper by Carson Blair. However, the Red Devils strung together 11 straight points to slice their deficit to 36-34. Tenkhoff and Lands made 3-pointers in the final 1:20 to give the Red Devils a 40-37 lead entering the final quarter.
"(We showed) a lot of heart and courage to fight back there," Govreau said. "We had a really good third quarter, and they came right back at us in the fourth. They could've easily caved. They showed their heart, but we made some big plays down the stretch and made some big free throws. I'm proud of them."
McCullough, who finished with 16 points including 13 in the final quarter, made consecutive 3-pointers to open the fourth and restored Bloomfield's lead. The lead changed hands five times and the score was tied on three occasions in a back-and-forth fourth quarter.
The Wildcats gained the biggest lead of the quarter when McCullough scored on an inbounds pass and hit a 3-pointer for a 53-47 lead.
Chaffee began nibbling away at its deficit and went ahead on a pair of free throws by Jagger Sadler with 41.1 seconds remaining. Brevin Yarbro, who was the third Chaffee player to score in double figures with 10 points, began an 8-0 run with a driving layup and a free throw.
Wyatt Parker made a free throw with 13.6 seconds left to increase the Red Devils' lead to 55-53 before McCullough tied the score with 6.8 seconds left.