Lincoln puts clamps on Shadle Park offense

TACOMA – Shadle Park’s boys basketball team made its living winning close games during the regular season.

But the Highlanders couldn’t find a way over the final two days of the State 4A tournament in the Tacoma Dome.

On Friday in a 2 p.m. game, they lost their second straight, 46-39 to Lincoln of Tacoma, ending their season.

The Abes played tough defense, using their bulk to cause shooting problems for Shadle. The Highlanders (22-6) could not get open looks inside, making just 35 percent of their attempts. They had just two 3-pointers in 19 attempts and could not get to the free-throw line.

There were also some defensive breakdowns, one particularly glaring, that resulted in an uncontested layin by Rayshon Cranshaw in the game’s final minute that put Shadle in a five-point hole.

Lincoln made four free throws in the final 42 seconds to maintain it.

“Their (the Abes) quickness bothered us,” said coach Tim Gaebe. “They hounded us over 94 feet for 32 minutes and took us out of our stuff, to their credit.”

This had been a winnable game until the Lincoln layin.

The Highlanders led by two at halftime, and were up by as many as five points as Anthony Brown hit a 3-pointer and took it to the basket three other times for nine points.

The teams traded baskets in the third quarter before the Abes scored the final six points to take a 34-30 lead.

Brown tied the game at 36-all with 4:13 remaining, but Zack Humphrey’s drive for a layin was waved off with an offensive foul call and Shadle failed on two opportunities to take the lead.

Lincoln’s Ryan Rogers made it 38-36 with 2 minutes, 22 seconds left and Cranshaw scored to put the Highlanders in too deep a hole.

Brown finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

“You always want to do better,” said Gaebe, “but the kids had a good season.”

Shadle graduates only two seniors – Humphrey, its leading scorer, and Austin Hayes.