Lc Goes For Upset, Finds Consolation
Lewis and Clark was greeted in Seattle by a newspaper story that said the only way the Tigers had a chance to beat top-ranked Sehome in the first-round of the State AAA boys basketball tournament was if the Mariners’ bus crashed on the way.
Sehome made it, but the Mariners Express came dangerously close to being upended Wednesday morning at KeyArena. LC out-scrapped Sehome before running out of gas in a much-closer-than-it-sounds 54-39 loss.
“We knew we could play with those guys,” LC guard Mike Homer said. “They’re a great team. Don’t take anything a way from them.”
The Tigers (18-10) fell into today’s 9 a.m. loser-out game against Mount Tahoma (19-6), which lost to Redmond 54-48.
LC closed the third quarter with three straight baskets by Paul Mencke to pull within 36-35, and twice in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter had the ball with a chance to take the lead.
However, two of their 23 turnovers kept the Tigers from getting over the top, and the Mariners went on a 10-0 run to win their 27th game.
Mencke ended LC’s drought with 1:48 to play, and the M’s closed with an 8-2 surge to make the game look like a romp.
“They’re a good team, but the ball bounced their way,” said Mencke, who scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. “I think we were in the game. Everybody knew we were in the game.”
Ryan Kettman closed the first quarter with a 3-pointer to put Sehome up for good, but the Mariners, who averaged a state-high 79 points a game, couldn’t shake the Tigers.
“They didn’t seem any tougher than any team we played down the stretch to get here,” LC coach Glenn Williams said. “They have good shooters, but we handled their transition game. It’s a tribute to our kids how well and how hard they play defense.”
LC had a 42-27 edge in rebounding, but the bigger Mariners did get five blocks from 6-foot-7 Mark Spink and the Tigers did have to deal with early foul difficulties.
“We play in a tough league. We were prepared for their intensity,” Williams said. “I wish we could have made a couple baskets in the fourth quarter. I felt we had some good shots. We just didn’t finish, and on a couple we got hacked pretty hard.”
The Tigers now have to battle back, just like like they did facing three loser-out games last weekend.
“We’ve had our backs to the wall all year. That’s nothing new,” Homer said. “We’re not happy to just be here. We want to take something home.”
Sehome 54, Lewis and Clark 39
Lewis and Clark 12 10 13 4 - 39
Sehome 13 12 11 18 - 53
LEWIS AND CLARK Steuckle 0 0-0 0, Homer 2 2-6 7, Lynch 2 2-2 6, Thompson 0 0-0 0, Etter 1 0-0 2, Vick 3 4-4 10, Adams 0 0-0 0, Mencke 7 0-0 14. Totals 14 8-12 39.
SEHOME Ryan 0 0-0 0, Stevenson 3 3-4 11, Gustafson 0 0-0 0, Chapman 5 0-0 13, Kettman 4 5-7 14, Anderson 0 0-0 0, Koskela 2 2-2 6, Spink 4 2-5 10. Totals 18 12-18 53.
3-point goals - Homer, Stevenson 2, Chapman 3, Kettman. Total fouls - LC 14, Sehome 10. Fouled out - Etter. Technical foul - Chapman.
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 2 Photos (1 color)