KingCo 3A boys: Skyline holds off Newport's rally
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Skyline, playing with a lot of emotion, didn’t get rattled during a fourth-quarter Newport comeback, holding on for a 64-61 boys basketball victory last night.
Skyline broke a Newport press in the final moments and junior forward Ryan Snell made a layup with three seconds left to clinch the victory.
"It’s special because (Newport) was ahead of us (in the standings), and it’s nice to beat a team ahead of us," said Foltz, who coached at Newport for 10 years before taking over at Skyline this season. "Obviously I have a special relationship with a lot of those players. We’re all going to compete at a higher level because of that relationship."
Newport (10-3 league, 15-5 overall) has lost three straight KingCo games after winning its first 10. The Knights have lost their last three games to Issaquah, Mercer Island and Skyline by a combined margin of eight points.
Skyline (7-6, 10-9) has proven it has the potential to pull an upset in the playoffs.
"We’re a scary team right now," said Skyline’s Ian Tushar, who scored a team-high 23 points. "We’re peaking at the right time."
Tushar was 7 of 8 from the field and 8 of 8 at the free-throw line. The junior point guard controlled the tempo and made smart decisions.
"He has improved so much the entire year," Foltz said.
Skyline had a 57-51 lead late in the fourth quarter, but consecutive three-pointers by Josh McGowen and Nathan Ivie cut the lead to 57-56. Free throws by Skyline’s Tushar and Matt Nelson, however, helped put the game out of reach. Nelson, a 6-foot-7 junior, scored 18 points.
McGowen led all scorers with 24 points, but was just 4 of 12 from three-point range. The Knights made only 6 of 24 three-point attempts.
Other games
Bellevue 75, at Mount Si 66 — Steven Regener poured in 30 points and the Wolverines outscored the Wildcats 29-6 at the free-throw line. Bellevue made 29 of 40 free throws, Mount Si 6 of 10. Regener, a 5-10 senior guard, was 16 of 22 at the foul line for Bellevue (8-5, 13-8). John Pinard scored 18 points for the Wolverines. Scott Johnson and Jeremy Johnston each had 14 for Mount Si (4-9, 7-13).
At Mercer Island 90, Cedarcrest 73 — The No.. 2 Islanders roared to a 51-12 halftime lead and won their 10th consecutive game to finish the regular season. Brandon Burmeister scored 20 points, Kevin Tempest 19 and Kevin Chirls 16 for Mercer Island (12-1, 17-3), which last lost on Dec. 28, to Archbishop Molloy of New York in a holiday tournament. Brian Stephenson scored 14 points and Pat Conrick and Chris Kracht each had 13 points for the Red Wolves (2-10, 6-13).
At Interlake 63, Sammamish 45 — Michael Allan had a double-double with 18 points and 15 rebounds as the Saints (5-8, 7-13) clinched the league’s No. 2 playoff spot from the Valley Division. The teams had been tied for second place in the division. Allan had 11 of his rebounds in the second half, helping Interlake outscore Sammamish 38-20 after halftime. AJ Moore scored 16 points and Peter Stevens 13 for the Totems (4-9, 6-13).