BOTHELL — The game-winning play wasn’t exactly what Steve Johnson drew up.
But it worked.
The Jackson boys basketball coach watched as senior Sam Saufferer pump faked a defender and ducked under him for a 15-footer with 10 seconds remaining to give Jackson a 68-67 win over Shorecrest in a non-conference game at the Bothell Holiday Tournament Wednesday night.
“We weren’t running exactly what we wanted,” Johnson said. “But Sam took advantage of a chance to get a guy off his feet with a pump fake and made a big shot for us.”
Saufferer finished with a game-high 30 points for Jackson (6-3 overall), which has won six of its last seven games after starting the year 0-2. The Timberwolves topped Newport in their tournament opener on Monday, before falling to perennial contender O’Dea.
Johnson was pleased to see Jackson rebound after the loss to the Irish on Tuesday with the victory against Shorecrest (6-4).
“This tournament we beat Newport, who is second place in Kingco right now,” Johnson said. “We lost to O’Dea, but there were some positives we took from that game. They’re a good team. To bounce back from that loss and get a win against a good team that’s looking pretty solid in Wesco 3A so far is good. It’s nice to pick up some positive momentum again heading into league play next week.”
Jordan Brajcich scored nine points and had six assists and Avery Goodwin added 12 points for the Timberwolves, including a steal and basket to give Jackson a lead late in the contest.
“Goodwin played a real good game,” Johnson said of the junior guard. “He made some big plays. He had a steal late to put us up by two down the stretch.”
Philip Pepple scored 22 points to lead Shorecrest, which went 1-2 at the Bothell Holiday Tournament with a win over Sammamish and losses to host Bothell and Jackson.
At Bothell H.S.
Jackson2691122—68
Shorecrest12191224—67
Jackson—Brian Brown 6, Parker Manalo 7, Ian Willgress 0, Brock Peterson 0, Jordan Brajcich 9, Connor Marschall 0, Avery Goodwin 12, Hunter Johnson 0, Sam Saufferer 30, Colton Faddis 2, Islim Ouldtaki 0. Shorecrest—Malcolm Rosier-Butler 7, Chris Lee 10, Dagmawe Menelik 17, Steven Lin 0, Tobyn Lawson 9, Braden Cote 0, Simon Acker 2, Ben Smolen 0, Philip Pepple 22. Records—Jackson 6-3 overall. Shorecrest 6-4.
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