Arlington tops Edmonds-Woodway 61-59 on buzzer-beater

Published 10:28 pm Tuesday, January 6, 2015

EDMONDS — Arlington senior Nathan Aune had a pretty big first for his basketball career Tuesday night in the Eagles’ game against Edmonds-Woodway.

With less than a second remaining in the game, Aune had his “first real buzzer-beater.”

Aune, who has made a game-winning shot in summer league games, handed Arlington a regular-season victory with a lay-in as the clock wound down to give the Eagles a 61-59 win over the Warriors in a non-conference game at Edmonds-Woodway High School.

“It’s pretty exciting,” Aune said. “It’s my first real buzzer-beater. I got one in summer league but that doesn’t count.”

Arlington got the ball with the score tied at 59 and about five seconds remaining on the clock. After the Warriors stopped Arlington’s first attempt to get a shot by knocking the ball out of bounds, the Eagles tried again and found Aune open on the perimeter.

The 6-foot-3 wing streaked to the hoop and got off a lay-in just in time.

The buzzer sounded right as the ball fell to the floor.

“We tried to run something first, they read it pretty well, and we just kind of went for it,” Aune said. “We got the ball in bounds and the sea opened up. It was a pretty easy right-handed lay-in and we got it.”

Aune’s basket capped a double-digit comeback for the Eagles for the second time in as many games. Donovan Sellgren had 14 of his team-high 21 points in the fourth quarter as Arlington outscored Edmonds-Woodway 22-12.

“Donovan hit some big shots for us. He hit the shots when we needed him to,” said Arlington head coach Nick Brown. “… It sounds cliche but I’ve been doing this a long time. The juices get flowing for sure but I trust these guys. They’ve been in this situation. I’m very proud of them.”

Edmonds-Woodway (7-4 overall) got off to a fast start, scoring the game’s first seven points. The Warriors led the whole way until a Drew Bryson 3-pointer tied the game 55-55 with 2:18 to go. The teams exchanged baskets until the final moments, when Aune put Arlington (8-2) on top for good.

“We still had a chance to take it to overtime,” said Edmonds-Woodway head coach Robert Brown. “Their player (Aune) was playing well all game and he made a good play. I would be proud of that kid if he played for me. I’m proud of that kid and he didn’t play for me. He just made a play.”

The Warriors’ coach said the nailbiter was exactly what he wanted for his squad in a non-conference game.

Although, he would have preferred to be the team making the buzzer-beater.

“It’s a good thing. That’s the thing I tell my kids: I can’t promise them wins and losses but my goal is to get them in big games,” Brown said. “… To be in a game like that is just where we want to be. Somebody has to come out on the losing end. Unfortunately, today it was us. But it was a good game.”

Junior guard Jordan Rice led Edmonds-Woodway with a game-high 24 points. Rice, who was playing in his second game since his father passed away due to a heart attack on Christmas Eve, scored half of his points in the first quarter to propel his team to the early lead.

Rice injured his left pinky diving to the floor in the second quarter, but after taping his dislocated finger during halftime he returned in the second half and continued to make shots for the Warriors.

“I don’t really know what happened,” Rice said. “I just hit the court and looked at my finger and it looked like it was broken to me. I was just like, ‘I want to play.’ … Those are the best games. It’s just the most fun, win or lose. You’re playing your heart out.”

There was a fundraiser for Rice’s family during the game, and the Arlington team presented him with some Rice Krispies treats and a gift after the contest.

“For him to come out and play as hard as he did and as well as he did is just a compliment to him,” Brown said. “He locked everything out and played hard. I’m so proud of him.”

At Edmonds-Woodway H.S.

Arlington 12 16 11 22 — 61

Edmonds-Woodway 18 11 18 12 — 59

Arlington—Tylor Morton 4, Donovan Sellgren 21, Nathan Aune 7, Cole Kingsberry 0, Drew Bryson 6, Connor Bovard 7, Brennon Wiersma 8, Jeremy Bishop 8. Edmonds-Woodway—Tre’var Holland 4, Jordan Rice 24, Marc Campagnaro 0, Brady Edwards 8, Dominic Marinez 8, Benji Parrilla 3, Phinnian Rogan 0, Chuckwuma Okereke 4, Tanner Caraco 0, Ali Gaye 0, Ryan Peterson 8. 3-point goals—Sellgren 4, Bryson 1, Bovard 1, Rice 4, Marinez 2, Parrilla 1. Records—Arlington 8-2 overall. Edmonds-Woodway 7-4.