Lynnwood boys earn 3A state berth
Published 10:23 pm Saturday, March 7, 2009
MOUNT VERNON — The Lynnwood boys basketball team didn’t even have a winning record when the 3A District 1 tournament kicked off.
No matter. After pulling off their third upset in four games, the Royals are going to state.
Lynnwood center Simi Fajemisin scored 10 points and senior Jared Milne scored all 10 of his points in the third quarter as Lynnwood upset Shorecrest 42-32 Saturday night in a winner-to-state, loser out consolation game at Mount Vernon High School.
Lynnwood received the District 1’s second and final seed. Shorecrest was eliminated. A draw to determine Lynnwood’s opponent at state will occur today.
The teams met twice in the regular season and once in a district seeding game with Shorecrest winning all three previous encounters.
“We’ve grown as a team,” Lynnwood head coach Darrell McNeal said before the game. “We’ve grown closer as a team, and we’re growing up as individuals.”
Lynnwood, 11-11 overall when the district tournament began, last went to state in 2006.
After holding Meadowdale to just 12 halftime points in the district championship game, Lynnwood did it again, taking a 14-12 advantage at the break. Unlike the Meadowdale game, this time Lynnwood did not run out of steam in the second half.
Milne scored Lynnwood’s first six points off two 3-poiners and Fajemisin put in a Tim Duncan-like hook shot in the paint to put the Royals up 24-14 in the third. Fajemisin scored six points in the quarter.
“Simi outweighs every player we have by about 50 pounds,” Shorecrest head coach Brian Fischer said. “… He’s a huge presence in the post.”
Milne also turned two momentum-killing technical fouls by Shorecrest into four easy points in the third quarter.
Saturday’s game was an intriguing match up of two Cinderella teams fighting for the last remaining seed to state.
Lynnwood, the Wesco No. 4 seed, upset Mount Vernon and Glacier Peak at districts before losing to Meadowdale in the district championship game.
Shorecrest, the Wesco No. 3 seed, lost to Ferndale in the opening round of districts, but won three straight loser-out games to reach the match up with Lynnwood, defeating Everett, Glacier Peak and Mount Vernon.
“At this point in the playoffs, you are going to play someone tough,” Fischer said of Lynnwood. “There are no free passes.”
Shorecrest senior forward Ryan Dodge scored eight points, and threw down an alley-oop dunk from Travis Hake to close Lynnwood’s advantage to 27-33 with 4:10 remaining in the fourth quarter.
But Lynnwood senior Geoff Meinken answered with a three-point play at the other end, and then assisted on a lay up by Lynnwood to put the lead back in double-digits.
Shorecrest’s Junior Chibuogwu scored Shorecrest’s first four points of the game and chipped in three rebounds in the first quarter. Chibuogwu finished with six points.
At Mt. Vernon H.S.
Lynnwood681810—42
Shorecrest57128—32
Lynnwood—Bryant 1, Evans 2, Milne 10, Elder 0, Wilson 2, Meinken 8, Matzen 9, Fajemisin 10. Shorecrest—Wenberg 2, McCoy 1, Diel 3, Hake 5, Bartlett 0, Chibuogwu 6, Dodge 8, Clevenger 3, Sullivan 4. 3-pointers—McCoy 1, Diel 1, Hake 1, Milne 2. Records—Lynnwood 14-12 overall. Shorecrest 14-12.
