4A District 1 boys basketball: Lake Stevens tops Kamiak

MUKILTEO -- The Lake Stevens boys basketball team was playing like it didn't want its season to end.

Even the opposing coach noticed.

"They played like a team that was not ready to be done," Kamiak head coach Cory West said.

The Vikings used a combination of good offense and great defense to pull away in the fourth quarter and defeat Kamiak 71-53 in a 4A District 1 loser out game at Kamiak High School Wednesday night.

"It was a great team win," Vikings' head coach Mark Hein said after the game.

Lake Stevens led a back-and-forth game most of the way, but really began to pull away early in the final quarter when the Vikings outscored Kamiak 23-10 and held the Knights without a field goal.

"They played well. They played their butts off," West said.

Kevin Smith scored 25 points to lead Lake Stevens. He also grabbed nine rebounds. Smith said that his past two games had not been his best shooting-wise, but a couple good practices and a newfound confidence helped him to get back on track.

"I just had full confidence," Smith said. "The coaches said my shot wasn't off, it was my mind."

Smith found his shot in this game, specifically the 3-point variety, with five of his eight field goals coming from behind the 3-point arc. He had 14 points in a close first half -- there were six lead changes in the second quarter alone -- and his performance helped put Lake Stevens up 31-27 at the break.

"He's a really capable player," Hein said. "He's a talented kid. When he plays with confidence, I'm glad he's wearing Vikings' colors."

Christian Gasca (15 points), Brady Pahukoa (12) and Devin Stoen (nine points -- all in the second half) led Lake Stevens' attack. Hein was especially complimentary of Stoen, the team's point guard.

"Devin Stoen's been great all year. We just tried to challenge him to get to the rim," Hein said.

In the second half, Stoen did just that. He challenged defenders, and drove to the basket, sometimes laying the ball in and sometimes passing it off to a teammate.

"We were shooting the ball really well," Smith said. "We had Devin distributing. We got Brady open and doing work down low."

Gasca grabbed nine rebounds to go along with his 15 points and Pahukoa contributed nine rebounds, seven assists, two steals and two blocks in a strong all-around performance.

Lake Stevens had a little extra motivation in this game, having lost 72-60 at Kamiak on Jan. 5. Hein said in that game the Knights prevented Lake Stevens from driving to the basket, something the Vikings' offense likes to do.

"I feel like they play really hard," Hein said of Kamiak. "When we came here the first time, they took us out of what we wanted to do.

"Of course we talk a little bit about it. It's always motivation when you lose to somebody."

The Vikings' opponent took the opposite approach.

"We didn't really talk about it," West said.

Ron Manchester led Kamiak with 13 points, 11 of which came in the first half. The Knights struggled from the field in the fourth quarter, with all 10 points coming from the free throw line. Kamiak shot long 3-point attempts and rushed shots in an effort to try and keep up with Lake Stevens.

"We got complacent and wanted to take shots and get away from what we normally do, which is attack," West said.

The Knights' season ended, as did the careers of the first group of Kamiak seniors who played for the Knights when West began coaching there four years ago. West says that his team has finally found an identity, and will continue to build on that in the future.

"I think (the season's) a success," West said. "We have an identity now. What is Kamiak basketball? In my opinion, it's we're in your face. We're gonna play beginning to end."

West understands his team's disappointment, but tried to put it in perspective for his players after the game.

"Obviously, I wanted to play a lot longer," West said. "But it's like I told the team, only one team will not have this feeling at the end of the year."

With the win, Lake Stevens keeps alive its chances of being that team. The Vikings now head to the final game in the consolation bracket and will face Edmonds-Woodway -- 58-54 winners over Stanwood on Wednesday -- at 6 p.m. on Saturday at Jackson High School. The winner of that game plays the No. 3 seed out of the Kingco conference for a chance to advance to the regionals round of the state tournament.

The Vikings defeated the Warriors both times the teams played this season, including a 63-55 victory exactly one week prior to Wednesday night's game in the first round of the district tournament. Smith, and the rest of the Lake Stevens team, hopes that trend continues.

"I'm excited for Saturday night," Smith said. "It's gonna be a hard-fought game."

At Kamiak H.S.

Lake Stevens 13 18 17 23 -- 71

Kamiak 16 11 16 10 -- 53

Lake Stevens--Shandano 0, Smith 25, Stoen 9, Rahn 0, Tomson 4, Gasca 15, Hendrickson 2, Lian 0, Sanoh 0, Pahukoa 12, Rothgeb 4. Kamiak--Wisnubroto 5, Berg 5, Kussman 9, Manchester 13, Carlson 4, Belk 0, Jouett 1, J. Blacksmith 8, Self 8. 3-point goals--Smith 5, Manchester 1. Records--Lake Stevens 15-7 overall. Kamiak 11-10.