Boys Basketball Playoffs -- Kangs Can't Grasp Last-Gasp Defeat

EVERETT - Lake Washington boys basketball players and coaches lingered near their bench long after screaming, cheering Everett High players had left the gym.

Some stood. Some sat. All stared in disbelief.

"It did not count, did not count," said Lake Washington assistant coach Tim Driver, his face flushed and frowning.

It was not the first time they had felt this way this season.

But it would be the last.

This time it was 50-49 in a Wes-King bi-district tournament game. And this time it was loser out.

But how? How could it happen again?

How did Everett's Jessen Schilaty get that 17-foot baseline shot out of his hands before the buzzer? How could it possibly have gone in? And off the glass?

How could the whole season end this way, by one point?

How could it end any other way?

"We've had six of them like this," LW Coach Don Harney said. "These kids deserve better luck than that."

The Kangaroos (17-6), once ranked seventh in the state, lost four times in the final two seconds this season, including one in overtime. They suffered another eight-point loss in overtime. The sixth loss was by four points.

None was tougher than last night's at Cascade High School. And not just because this team had visions of state contention after 7-foot junior David Sturing and KingCo Conference scoring champion Donald Watts transferred to a school that already returned four of its top seven players.

What stung worst of all was the way this one was lost.

It was bad enough that the Everett Seagulls (15-6) - the third-place team in a mediocre league (its teams combined for an 18-18 nonleague record) - led by one at halftime.

Worse that they led by two after three quarters.

Unconscionable that they trailed by only one with seven seconds left - with the ball after Lake Washington missed its third straight front end of a one-and-one free throw.

And it was simply impossible that the Seagulls could score the game-winner the way they did.

After spending half their seven seconds pushing the ball up the sideline, guard Kurt Koshelnik forced a pass toward the baseline that hit LW's Charlie Vanderford in the back of the head - and bounced right into Schilaty's hands.

It was the first field goal for either team in more than a minute and a half - with five missed free throws in six attempts in between.

"That kind of shocked me when it went in," Everett Coach Roger Haug said. "Nobody could buy a basket, and the one that goes in is kind of a piece of garbage."

What shocked Haug devastated the Kangaroos, who maintained the shot came after time expired.

"The last time, we get knocked out in a double-overtime game at the buzzer," Harney said. "This time we go out and get beat after the game's over with. So there's some frustration and anger."

Lake Washington was eliminated by Oak Harbor in its Wes-King opener last season, 44-41 in double overtime.

"I thought it was on time. I just didn't know it it was going to be good," Haug said.

Lake Washington missed four of five free throws in the final 1:12 of the game.

Watts, a 6-foot-4 junior, led the Kangs with 25 points, 11 in the fourth quarter.

Everett's 6-4 center, Mike Pedersen, led the Seagulls with 18 points and 11 rebounds.

Everett plays sixth-ranked Juanita (17-5) in a Wes-King quarterfinal game at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow at Bellevue High.

Newport 81, Shorewood 56 - At Bellevue High School, Jason Maners scored 22 of his game-high 28 points in the first half for the Knights (16-7), who advance to play Marysville-Pilchuck at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow at Snohomish in the quarterfinals of the Wes-King AAA bi-district tournament. Brad McKnight, a 6-8 center bound for San Jose State, had 14 points, 10 rebounds and six blocked shots for Newport. Lonzo Wilson scored 12 points and James Ausby nine for the Thunderbirds (12-9).

Mercer Island 64, Bellevue 59 - Guard Jason Cooper scored a game-high 23 points to help the seventh-ranked Islanders hold off the upset-minded Wolverines. Terik Brown scored 16 for Mercer Island (17-6), which plays Edmonds-Woodway in a quarterfinal contest tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. at Cascade High School. Chad Garr scored 21 for Bellevue (7-15).

Issaquah 65, Marinere 62 (OT) - Shawen Dean scored eight of his game-high 32 points in overtime as Issaquah (15-8) held off stubborn Mariner (13-8) to advance to the quarterfinals of the Wes-King AAA bi-district tournament. Dean, a 6-foot-1 senior guard, hit 10 of 17 field-goal attempts, including seven of 14 three-point attempts.

Issaquah advances to tomorrow's quarterfinals to face No. 2-ranked Redmond (20-3) at 7:30 p.m. at Interlake High School.

Dante Bunch, a 6-3 senior guard, led Mariner with 25 points on 8-for-17 field-goal shooting.