TACOMA — Lavell White, Franklin High School’s nationally regarded freshman phenom, walked off the floor with a hand over his left eye.
“I need some ice,” he said, shaking his head.
His high-profile teammate, highly recruited junior Peyton Siva, was careful not to lift his sore right shoulder.
Mighty Franklin High may have come away with a victory Thursday morning, but the Quakers sure looked like they had been in a fight.
The state’s second-ranked team spent most of Thursday’s consolation-round game at the Class 4A state boys basketball tournament taking Mariner’s best shots. But in the end, the Marauders couldn’t finish Franklin off.
“We had it, and it felt like it slipped through our fingers,” Mariner junior Nick Malysheff said after his team watched Franklin score the final eight points of the game in the Marauders’ 56-49 loss. “A game like that makes me sick to my stomach.”
In a physical, tight battle that was more like a prize fight than a basketball game, the Marauders simply ran out of punches.
Junior Stefan Doerscher gave Mariner a 49-48 lead with 3:50 remaining, then the Marauders fell apart down the stretch. Mariner’s final five possessions included two turnovers, four missed shots and two missed free throws. Franklin (21-3) scored eight unanswered points to advance to today’s consolation semifinal game against Snohomish.
Mariner’s season came to an end.
“The kids played hard, but they didn’t execute in the end,” said Mariner coach Dexter Griffen, whose team led by as many as 10 points in the second half. “I feel bad for the seniors (Joey Dillon and Danny Chhann). That’s a team that beat us good last year, and I really wanted the seniors to get a chance to get one back.”
Mariner’s 78-50 loss to Franklin in the first round of the 2007 state tournament had the Marauders fired up for the rematch. The intensity was evident from the very start, with players for both teams falling on the floor and diving for loose balls every few seconds.
Franklin’s high-energy, defensive pressure forced 18 Mariner turnovers in the first half, yet the Marauders were just as aggressive while taking a 24-18 halftime lead.
Late in the first half, Franklin’s Siva came down hard after challenging a shot and getting his fingers caught in the net. The junior star stayed down for more than a minute while trainers attended to his right shoulder, but he eventually returned to the floor.
With Dillon leading the way — he scored a team-high 14 points and hit both of his 3-pointers after halftime — the Marauders kept Franklin at arm’s length throughout the third quarter. A Michael Minor free throw put Mariner ahead 35-25 midway through the period before Siva and Chris Holmes led Franklin’s rally.
Franklin took its first lead of the second half when Siva made a nice pass to Holmes for a fast-break layup, putting the Quakers ahead 48-47. Doerscher scored 16 seconds later in the high-paced game, but that would be the last time the Marauders (18-8) put points on the board.
Siva led all scorers with 19 points. Holmes added 16 for the Quakers. Damascus Purnell had 10 points for Mariner. Doerscher added nine points and eight rebounds.
The loss marked Mariner’s eighth in a row in state-tournament play. The last time the Marauders won a game at the state tourney was in 1999, when they took third in the 3A tournament.
Mariner is 0-10 all-time in 4A tournament games.
At the Tacoma Dome
Franklin1081820—56
Mariner14101510—49
Franklin — Siva 19, Carter 8, Holmes 16, Reid 1, McMorris 1, White 8, Corpuz, D.Wilson 3, F.Wilson, Scharer, Truong, Miller. Mariner — J.Dillon 14, Chhann 5, Doerscher 9, T.Dillon 2, Purnell 10, Minor 5, Malysheff 4. 3-point goals—Siva 2, White 1, Carter 1, J.Dillon 2. Records — Franklin 21-3 overall. Mariner 18-8.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.