EVERETT – Early on it was almost too easy for the Everett boys basketball team. Eight unanswered points to open the game and a 21-9 margin midway through the second quarter.
It seemed almost too good to be true.
In fact it was, as visiting Kamiak battled back to turn what had the makings of a rout into a genuine nail-biter.
In the end, though, the Seagulls got a fourth-quarter lift from the senior threesome of point guard Gia Luu and posts Alex Wertheimer and Andy Blacker to earn a 50-48 Western Conference South victory on Friday night. Elizabeth Armstrong / The Herald
With Everett trailing 39-38 with just over five minutes to play, the trio scored 11 of the team’s final 12 points, giving the Seagulls just enough cushion to withstand three Kamiak 3-point goals in the game’s final 1 minute, 22 seconds of play.
It was the initial win for first-year Everett coach Aaron Nations, following season-opening road losses to Cascade and Meadowdale.
“It’s fantastic,” Nations acknowledged after the game. “We didn’t know if we could beat Kamiak, but we wanted to come out and give it our best effort and see if we could get that first win at home.”
After a disappointing effort on Tuesday night in a 52-46 loss at Meadowdale, “we got back to practice on Wednesday and we said our focus is going to be defense and rebounding. And tonight I thought our kids came out and rebounded pretty well.”
Senior guard/forward Bryce Levin sparked Everett in the early going, dropping in eight first-quarter points as the Seagulls broke on top 18-7. Wertheimer added three points early in the second period to give Everett its game-best 12-point margin.
The Knights, though, mounted a comeback that brought them to within 28-23 at halftime – helped by a long 3-pointer by guard Ben Iddins at the horn. Kamiak would later go on top by one point midway through the third quarter and again nearly three minutes into the fourth, but each time Everett quickly moved back on top.
The Seagulls also got a lift when Luu, who picked up his fourth foul early in the third quarter, returned early in the fourth.
In the space of a few minutes after his return, he scored with a layin, sank two free throws, had a dandy pass to a teammate for a layin and had another terrific pass for a layin try that, alas, rolled off the rim.
“He started taking control at the point,” Nations said. “He’s a great player and we need him out on the floor. When he came out (after his fourth foul), I told him, ‘We’re going to need you out on the floor in the fourth quarter. We’re going to need you to win this game.’ And he stepped up big.”
For Kamiak coach Jeff Leary, the large early deficit had the Knights playing uphill the rest of the game.
“When you start a game out like that, and you have to fight and claw your way back, it’s hard to get back in the game,” Leary said. “I liked how we picked up the intensity in the second half, but we didn’t play very well.
“I just felt like we didn’t come ready to play right at the beginning,” he said. “And we’re not going to beat anybody in our league when we’re doing that. In our league, every night you have to come ready to play. And that’s what I’m trying to get across to the kids.”
At Everett H.S.
Kamiak7161015-48
Everett18101012-50
Kamiak- Bullock 4, Greenlee 6, Iddins 9, Marere 10, Martinez 3, Perry 14, Tarver 2. Everett-Luu 8, Mattson 1, Lund 4, Levin 12, Wertheimer 10, Blacker 15. 3-point goals-Perry 3, Martinez 1, Bullock 1, Levin 2, Lund 1. Records-Kamiak 1-1 in league, 1-2 overall. Everett 1-1, 1-2.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
