MILL CREEK — A spectacular Shorecrest boys basketball team saw their season come to an end on Friday night in a 64-59 loss to Liberty in the state 3A playoffs.
When a team wins both the turnover and rebound battle, they tend to go home happy. Despite an advantage on both those fronts, Shorecrest’s offense just couldn’t find its groove in crucial moments. Junior star Brayden Fischer (19 points) put up 10 points in the first three minutes of the contest, but would be held scoreless for the remainder of the half. Vertical threat senior Devan Jones (four points) was limited by the Patriots drawing charges on him while senior Junior Kagarabi (15 points) didn’t find his offensive groove until the second half.
After trailing by 15 points at halftime thanks in part to a 15-point barrage from Liberty junior Jackson Whitaker, the Scots started to string together stops to open the third. Shorecrest allowed just two points in the first four minutes of the period, but scored two points themselves as the comeback window closed. The lead quickly ballooned to 18 as the desperate Scots turned to their calling card all season: hounding defense.
Shorecrest employed a full-court trap that gave them life, as Fischer and Kagarabi pressured ball handlers like Whitaker and forced turnovers to get the lead down to 13 at the beginning of the fourth. But before the Scots could reach the final period, Liberty drew another charge on Devan Jones — his fifth foul. In a moment indicative of the composure his team would show down the line, Kagarabi ran to Jones’ side and pushed his chin up as he exited the floor for the final time in his high school career.
Without Jones, Shorecrest head coach Eddie George remained with the aggressive trap for the rest of the game, having Fischer and other guards press deep into the backcourt. Liberty began to crack under this ball pressure, turning the ball over three-straight times early in the fourth. Senior Porter Swanson (seven points) found himself in passing lanes constantly as well, diving on loose balls to contribute to the comeback effort.
After some tough finishes from sophomore big man Jack Thompson (11 points), Fischer and Kagarabi, along with some late missed free throws from Liberty, Shorecrest found themselves down two late with Whitaker heading to the free throw line. The Scots had somehow turned a 9-5 halftime turnover deficit into a 14-11 advantage and snared more rebounds than the Patriots in a textbook example of how to make up ground in a basketball game. They had revived their previously dejected fans, who roared louder than ever after Fischer cut it to a single-possession game.
But just as quickly as Shorecrest had turned this game on its head, Liberty shut it down. Whitaker sunk both his free throws, and a Shorecrest miss on the other end meant the end of a 21-4 season.
The emotion was clear on the faces of the Scots after the buzzer sounded, as the finality of the situation sunk in. The moment the Scots had prepared for years was over in an instant, but there was some solace to be found in how Shorecrest went down. While this trip to state may not have ended in Tacoma as planned, Shorecrest made sure they went out how they played all season: loud and proud.
Shorecrest could not be reached for comment after the game.
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