Stanwood eliminated Shadle Park 66-54 in the State 3A boys basketball tournament Friday at the Tacoma Dome.
The Highlanders (10-15) managed to make it a competitive game when they were on the verge of being blown out.
The Spartans built a 52-31 lead late in the third quarter, but Shadle fought back within 59-49 when Kyle Knutsen scored a layup off a steal with 1:40 to go. That’s as close as the Highlanders would get. The game was a microcosm of the Highlanders’ season – a year full of inconsistent play and dozens of makeable shots.
“We were getting great looks right there at the rim,” Shadle coach Tim Gaebe said. “We just couldn’t finish them. And we needed to get stops at the other end and we couldn’t get that done either.”
Alvin Welch led Shadle with 12 points and Dale Hagan had 10 with six rebounds.
“It’s like how the whole season’s gone,” Gaebe said. “We battled back and they didn’t cave. They had a good year. They won games they had to win to get here.”
Statistics
3-point goals -Thayer 4, Garcea, Chaplik, Kelley 2, Burns. Total fouls -Stanwood 20, Shadle Park 20. Fouled out -Pilimai. Technicals -None.