MUKILTEO – The Kamiak Knights became masters of the two-minute drill Friday night when their place in the Western Conference South Division depended on it.
Kamiak scored the final 15 points of the first half, then the last 12 points of the game to pull away from Mariner for a 63-46 boys basketball victory.
The victory avenged a 12-point loss to Mariner in December, but more important at this time of year is what it did for Kamiak’s push to make the playoffs.
Kamiak improved to 9-5 overall and 7-5 in the Wesco South, giving the Knights a one-game lead over Mariner for the third of the division’s four berths to the Class 4A district tournament. Mariner is 7-7 and 6-6, one game ahead of Jackson for the fourth 4A spot.
“We just want to get there,” Kamiak coach Jeff Leary said. “Every game is a big game and it doesn’t get any easier.”
Tyler Martinez and Gary Rogers provided the outside-inside strength when Kamiak needed it most. Martinez, a 6-foot-2 senior, finished with a game-high 21 points and Rogers, a 6-6 senior, scored 16 and grabbed 12 rebounds.
Mariner had pulled within two points late in the second quarter before Martinez made a 3-pointer that started a 15-0 Kamiak run. Martinez made two more from long range, one a 3-pointer, Blake Coleman scored five of his seven points and Rogers finished with a layup that gave Kamiak a 32-15 lead at the half.
Mariner scored just three points in the second quarter, having lost much of its inside presence after 6-8 junior Tommy Craddock went to the bench with his second foul.
“It hurts to have him off the court because he does so much for us both rebounding-wise and offensively,” Mariner coach Dexter Griffin said.
Game over? Hardly.
“They’re a good team and this is a big rivalry,” Leary said. “We knew they weren’t going to quit and that’s something we talked about at halftime. We just had to withstand that pressure, and that’s when Tyler hit some key shots to keep the lead extended.”
Mariner’s Delvaugh Tinned, who began the second half with a four-point play – he was fouled on a 3-pointer and made the free throw – made a 3-pointer from beyond the key before Craddock scored twice from inside. That surge in the third quarter pulled Mariner within eight points, 37-29.
Mariner continued its comeback when Aaron Cartwright scored nine of his team-high 16 points early in the fourth quarter, including a free throw with 1:57 remaining that pulled the Marauders within five at 51-46.
Game back on? Only for a while.
Sean Hermes, a 5-11 junior, keyed Kamiak’s finishing kick by scoring six points in the Knights’ 12-point run, including a steal in the backcourt and layup that pushed the margin back to nine. Rogers also scored twice in the Knights’ final spurt.
“The second half, we had some breakdowns, but I was really happy with the way our kids kept their poise and fought back,” Leary said.
Tinned scored 15 for Mariner and Craddock 10.
“We shot the ball terrible and we just didn’t play our traditional hard-nosed defense,” Griffin said. “When you don’t make shots and don’t play defense, it’s a bad combination. Hopefully we can get it together before it’s too late.”
At Mukilteo
Mariner-Tinned 15, Cartwright 16, Craddock 10, Burns 5. Kamiak-Balch 9, Rogers 16, Martinez 21, Coleman 7, Hermes 8, Iddins 2. 3-point goals-Tinned, Balch, Martinez 3. Records-Mariner 6-6 Wesco South, 7-7 overall. Kamiak 7-5, 9-5. |
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