MILL CREEK — Marysville Pilchuck guard Michael Painter just squeezed the ball as the final buzzer sounded.
Painter, the lone holdover from a Tomahawk team that went 1-19 two seasons ago, and his team were going to state regionals.
For the third time this season Marysville Pilchuck faced Arlington and for the third time this season the game went down to the wire as the Tomahawks outlasted Arlington 49-46 in the 3A District 1 third-place game at Jackson High School.
The win clinches a berth in the regional round of the state tournament for Marysville Pilchuck, the first for the school since 1993.
“We got it,” Painter said as he hugged Marysville Pilchuck head coach Bary Gould after the game. “We got it.”
Gould was a senior on that 1993 team, which went 0-20 the season before. The second big turnaround felt especially good for Gould knowing Painter got to be a part of it.
“It couldn’t have happened to a better kid. If anyone deserves anything, Mike deserves this,” Gould said. “He’s put in the hours to prepare for this moment and how fitting it was that he had the ball there at the end.”
Returning to regionals was a goal the Tomahawks had from the start of the season.
“At the beginning of the season we were talking and thought, ‘It’s been 21 or 22 years since MP’s gotten a regional berth,’” Painter said. “We were like, ‘Hey, we can do this.’ And in that final moment it was, ‘We got it.’”
The win was anything but guaranteed as both teams battled back and forth throughout the contest. Marysville Pilchuck’s Josh Bevan hit a 3-pointer with less than 2:30 to play before Arlington answered right back with a Donavan Sellgren layin as the game developed a frantic pace.
Tomahawks guard Cole Grinde’s 3-pointer gave Marysville Pilchuck a 49-44 lead with 38 seconds to play which proved to be the difference in the game.
“That kid, Cole Grinde, has ice water in his veins,” Gould said. “I’m surprised he missed a free throw. You’re just shocked when he misses.”
With less than a second left Marysville Pilchuck hurled the ball down the court to Painter, who caught it and didn’t want to let go.
“I was just overcome with emotion,” Painter said. “You could hear the fans screaming, you could hear the parents and everyone that supported you the entire way through. It was just really emotional.”
Bevan finished with a team-high 11 points for Marysville Pilchuck (18-6 overall). Grinde scored 10 and Painter, Nate Heckendorf and Bryce Juneau all added eight points apiece for a balanced Tomahawks attack.
“The locker room was really emotional. We’re celebratory but at the same time we’re just so thankful,” Painter said. “It took a team effort to get here. When we play like that it’s difficult to stop us.”
Marysville Pilchuck will find out who its next opponent will be after the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association announces regional pairings Sunday evening.
“It feels very surreal,” Gould said. “We put in countless hours — everyone does — and you want the success for those kids so bad. … To see this group come through and be able to realize that it’s been a long time coming. I feel really good for the community of Marysville and really good for those players.”
Sellgren and senior Nathan Aune netted 12 points apiece for Arlington (15-9), which saw its season end with the loss. Arlington head coach Nick Brown praised his team repeatedly in the season for their resilience and determination and, once again, the Eagles continued to battle until the final buzzer.
“Arlington, and Coach Brown, I have so much respect for them and their program,” Gould said. “They fought until the very, very end.”
At Jackson H.S.
Arlington 13 10 8 15 — 46
Marysville Pilchuck 14 9 12 14 — 49
Arlington—Tylor Morton 5, Donavan Sellgren 12, Nathan Aune 12, Cole Kingsberry 0, Drew Bryson 11, Connor Bovard 0, Brennon Wiersma 2, Jeremy Bishop 4. Marysville Pilchuck—Bryce Juneau 8, Bryce Vitcovich 4, Josh Bevan 11, Michael Painter 8, Cole Grinde 10, Zach Verge 0, Nate Heckendorf 8. 3-point goals—Morton 1, Aune 2, Bryson 1, Bevan 3, Painter 2, Grinde 2. Records—Arlington 15-9 overall. Marysville Pilchuck 18-6.
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