SNOHOMISH — Kyra Beckman’s mind went blank after seeing her team’s lead disappear with less than 15 seconds to play. So the standout Snohomish forward did what she does best — run to the basket and get into scoring position.
“We were supposed to go into a play,” Beckman said. “I just spaced. I thought, ‘I’ll post up and trust my teammates to get me the ball.’”
Trailing by one point to Glacier Peak following the game’s 10th lead change, Panthers coach Ken Roberts didn’t call a timeout as precious seconds ticked away.
Snohomish guard Maya DuChesne found forward Lexi Sunagel coming off a screen open at the top of the key. She passed up a shot, and instead delivered a pass to Beckman, who had great post position under the basket. Beckman turned to her right and put a shot off the glass and in from close range to give the Panthers a dramatic win Tuesday night at Snohomish High School.
Glacier Peak was awarded a timeout with 1.2 seconds to go, but the Grizzlies didn’t attempt a final shot, as Snohomish earned a thrilling 42-41 non-league victory over its city rival.
“I was debating calling a timeout,” Roberts said. “But as soon as Maya turned the corner, I was like, ‘We’re good.’ It wasn’t flawless, but it was close.”
In a wild back-and-forth game, Glacier Peak appeared poised to hand Snohomish its first loss of the year when Grizzlies forward Alexyss Newman scored off an offensive rebound putback to give GP a 41-40 edge.
Newman, who scored all of her team-high 11 points in the second half, helped Glacier Peak overcome a 34-24 second-half deficit.
The Grizzlies ventured on a 10-0 scoring run, and a free throw from Nicole Jensen gave Glacier Peak a 36-35 advantage with 4:30 to play. It was GP’s first lead since early in the second quarter.
Over the next minute, both teams exchanged 3-pointers. DuChesne, who scored a game-high 16 points, connected on one to give Snohomish a 38-36 lead, but Haley Grambo answered right back the following possession to put the Grizzlies back in front 39-38 with 3:30 to go.
A mid-range jumper from Beckman gave the Panthers a 40-39 lead with 2:15 to play, setting up the final back-to-back scoring sequence.
Beckman and DuChesne combined for 17 of Snohomish’s 20 second-half points.
“They’ve both been on varsity for three years,” said Roberts of the frontcourt-backcourt duo. “Maya has been starting point guard since her fourth game her freshman year. She’s only had eight losses in 49 games, so we’ve been pretty good with her.”
Beckman finished with 14 points, and Glacier Peak freshman Aaliyah Collins added nine. Grizzlies standout guard Abbie Juozapaitis, who got into early foul trouble, was limited to two points.
The thrilling win added an extra special moment for Roberts, whose father, Russ Roberts, was being honored Tuesday during Cancer Awareness Night.
Russ, who taught and coached in the Snohomish School District for 30 years from 1967-1997, died last June, and coaching staff and attending fans wore baby blue shirts to raise awareness for prostate cancer.
Players on both teams wore blue socks, and a special tribute video played during halftime. Both teams stayed on the bench to watch the video. In between the first and second quarter, Snohomish hosted a “miracle minute” in which buckets were passed around the stands to collect funds for cancer research. Snohomish and Glacier Peak raised $679.
“I didn’t even think about it until I kind of walked off afterward, and thought that it’s good to be able to look back at this night and think of it as a great night where we got a win,” Ken Roberts said. “It makes it a little special, and I’ll remember the night we paid tribute to my dad. It was a fun game for the whole community, because Glacier Peak is part of our community.”
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