Boys Basketball / Eastlake 56, Franklin 53 -- Eastlake `Three' Beats Franklin -- Gunther Sinks Corner Shot With 1:19 Left

REDMOND - A team with too big a memory collided with a shooter who knew how to forget.

Score one for the shooter.

Matt Gunther's clutch three-pointer helped the Eastlake High School boys basketball team to a 56-53 win over Franklin last night in a nonleague game.

It's possible these teams could meet again. Franklin, which moved to Class AAA this year, won the AA state championship last season. To reach the state AAA tournament this year, Franklin would have to travel through Eastlake's KingCo Conference.

Franklin Coach Ron Drayton was not surprised by the loss.

"We have too big a memory," Drayton said. "We remember what we did last year, but we don't remember what it took to get there."

Fortunately for Eastlake, Gunther's memory is not so long.

The junior forward struggled with his shot during the second and third quarters, missing five straight three-point attemps. But with 1:19 to play and the score tied at 51, Gunther buried a three from the right corner.

"My teammates told me to forget about it and keep shooting," said Gunther, who finished with 14 points.

Mike Shane led Eastlake with 16. He hit three three-pointers in the second half.

Eastlake Coach Ray Rodriguez said the win was huge for a school with such a short history. Eastlake opened three years ago.

"Franklin is an extremely solid program," Rodriguez said. "We're trying to build a program. This is the biggest win in school history because now the kids believe."

Franklin is a very different team this year. Only four players were on the roster for the state championship game and only one, Jason Robbins, saw significant time.

"We're a green team," said Drayton. "It's a process. Now the kids know that they can't just show up and win."