Late free throw gives Clarkston boys second consecutive State 2A title

YAKIMA – Tournament MVP Trevon Allen’s free throw with 2 seconds remaining Saturday gave Clarkston all the margin it needed and the Bantams edged past Shorecrest 60-59 to win their second consecutive State 2A boys title.

Clarkston (25-1) is the fourth consecutive team from the rugged Great Northern League to win the 2A title. Prior to Clarkston’s back-to-back wins, Pullman won titles in 2013 and 2014.

The University of Idaho-bound Allen led all scorers with 30 points, including 16 in the second half. After the Bantams got the ball with 20 seconds left, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind who was going to take Clarkston’s final shot.

“I told the kids in the huddle that we were going to let the guy who got us this far win this game for us,” Clarkston coach Justin Jones said. “It was a heady play he made to get the pump fake and get the kid in the air.”

Allen’s fake outside the arc got Shorecrest defender Aubry Victor off his feet and Allen leaned in enough to get the call. He made just 1 of 3 free throws – the second attempt – but that was all Clarkston needed.

“This speaks volumes about our league,” Jones said. “What we experienced over the two months of league play got us ready to come back here and do this.”

The game was taut, with neither team leading by more than five points. The lead changed hands six times in the fourth period.

The first half included crisp passing, precise execution and lights-out shooting from behind the arc. When it ended, Clarkston led 30-29 but held that lead with the knowledge that Allen was beginning to find his range.

Shorecrest assigned Chris Lee to defend Allen. It took Allen into the second period to score from the field, but once he did, he scored 13 of the Bantams’ 21 second-period points.

Jett Sobotta – a second team all-tournament selection – had 12 points for Clarkston. Philip Pepple led Shorecrest with 21 points and 11 rebounds.