Edmonds-Woodway counts on point guard

Published 11:48 pm Tuesday, December 11, 2007

EVERETT — Common sense suggested there was no way James Conti had a chance to get the rebound.

But relentless basketball players like Conti frequently defy logic.

Conti, a point guard listed at 5-foot-11 who looks a few inches shorter that that, grabbed a key rebound over several taller foes and scored a quick putback basket that provided the winning points Tuesday. It helped the Edmonds-Woodway Warriors hold off the previously unbeaten Mariner Marauders 48-45 in a Western Conference South Division clash at the Mariner High School gym.

Conti, a senior, scored a team-high 15 points for Edmonds-Woodway (1-1 Wesco South, 3-2 overall), which rallied from a 10-point first-half deficit. The guard tallied E-W’s final four points: two on the putback that made it 46-45 with 24 seconds to go and two on free throws that essentially clinched it in the final seconds.

“James is absolutely a winner. There’s no doubt he will (do good things) on the court at the end of the game,” E-W coach Gail Pintler said.

Mariner (1-1, 3-1), which led 22-12 in the second quarter, rallied after falling behind by 11 points with 5:11 remaining in the game. Guard Joey Dillon scored seven of his game-high 17 points in the final 6:10 to ignite the Marauders.

Dillon scored Mariner’s final three points, including a foul shot that gave Mariner its last lead, 45-44. But after E-W’s Sean Laue missed a 3-point attempt, Conti emerged with a stunning weak-side rebound and banked in the decisive bucket.

“Sometimes I wonder how he does it. I always see him dribble through about five guys and handle the ball. It’s crazy,” said E-W forward Connor Donaldson (12 points).

Donaldson, who made two long jump shots early in the fourth quarter, said Conti’s clutch play was “beautiful.”

“I don’t know how he got in there,” Donaldson added.

Conti came up big at the foul line. He was 5-for-6 in the second half and 4-for-4 in the final quarter.

Reserve post Kenan Polovina had a powerful two-handed, fast-break dunk and guard Antoinne Wafer scored 10 points for E-W, which plays host to Shorecrest Friday.

Mariner had a chance to take the lead with 5.4 seconds to go but Dillon stumbled and lost the ball while dribbling into the lane. The Marauders lost for the first time this season, and a key factor was a two-point third quarter.

“The third quarter cost us. We just came out flat,” Mariner coach Dexter Griffen said.

“We started shooting too many jump shots,” said Griffen, “and we didn’t get the ball inside as much as we should have. Those things all compounded together cost us the game.”

Dillon was 10-for-13 on foul shots but his teammates combined to make just 6 of 14.

After scoring just three points in the first quarter, E-W bounced back and trailed 24-22 at the break.

E-W, which shot just 1-for-8 from the field in the opening quarter, closed the half with a 10-2 run. The Warriors’ burst included 3-pointers by Conti and Wafer. They combined to score 11 of their team’s 19 points in the period.

Mariner’s Dillon led all players with 10 first-half points. He drained a 3-pointer from the right corner and was 5-for-6 at the free-throw line.

Wing/post Adrien Black (10 points) provided a boost for Mariner off the bench. But he and the Marauders fell short in the end.

“These guys have been there. We should have not only taken the lead, we should have finished the game,” coach Griffen said.

Mariner’s next game is Friday at Jackson.

At Mariner H.S.

Edmonds-Woodway3191214—48

Mariner915219—45

Edmonds-Woodway: Conti 15, Wafer 10, Enquist, Laue 7, Donaldson 12, Ortiz, Polovina 4, McCartney, Wilson, Reilly. Mariner: J. Dillon 17, Chhann 5, T. Dillon 3, Malysheff, Purnell 8, Bastys 2, Minor, Black 10, Doerscher. 3-point goals-Conti 1, Wafer 1, J. Dillon 1, Chhann 1, T. Dillon 1. JV score-Edmonds-Woodway 40, Mariner 38. Records-Edmonds-Woodway 1-1 in division, 3-2 overall. Mariner 1-1, 3-1.

Contact Herald Writer Mike Cane at mcane@heraldnet.com. For more high school sports news, check out the prep sports blog Double Team at cmg-northwest2.go-vip.net/heraldnet/doubleteam.