LAKE STEVENS — In the gym of a school known for its powerful wrestling team, a basketball game often looked like a grappling meet Friday night.
Bodies crashed to the ground. Fouls piled up. One player suffered a cut under his right eye, put on a bandage and got back on the court. In the end, the Lake Stevens High School boys basketball team pinned the Stanwood Spartans.
Fueled by guard Ryan Legg (15 points), Lake Stevens held off Stanwood and won a Western Conference North Division clash 58-55. Stanwood had the ball with 1.7 seconds to go, but did not get off a shot.
Center Sean Stickney (10 points, 12 rebounds) had a big game for Lake Stevens (2-0 Wesco North, 2-1 overall), which out-rebounded Stanwood 40-26. Stickney was one of three Vikings who fouled out in the fourth quarter.
Stanwood (1-1, 2-2) pounced in the final three minutes, cutting an eight-point deficit to two. But reserve guard Arvid Isaksen made a foul shot to put Lake Stevens on top 58-55 and that’s how it ended.
Lake Stevens pulled off an upset, according to The Herald’s preseason Wesco North coaches’ poll, which ranked Stanwood No. 1 and Lake Stevens No. 3. Lake Stevens committed nine turnovers in the fourth quarter but never lost faith.
“When a team trusts each other and trusts they can knock down shots and trusts they can get stops, a lot of confidence is built up,” said Legg, whose short jump shot with 1:01 remaining made it 55-52.
Legg, who made a long 3-point shot at the end of the second quarter, said he expected an intense, bruising effort from Stanwood. “I knew tonight it was going to be physical and I needed to be composed so I could knock down shots and hit free throws,” said Legg, who was 6-for-6 at the free-throw line.
Overall, neither team shot free throws well. But Stanwood was worse, and it essentially cost them the a chance to win, Spartans coach Zach Ward said. “That’s your ball game,” said Ward, whose team missed 12 of 20 free-throw attempts.
Post Zack Johnson scored 10 of his 12 points in the second half for Stanwood. But Johnson was 4-for-10 on free throws. Stanwood guard Kale Schmidt led all players with 18 points, including two 3-pointers.
Legg had a big first half for Lake Stevens, scoring 11 points. He helped the Vikings take a 28-23 lead into the intermission.
With time ticking away in the second quarter, Stanwood’s Johnson scored on a spinning post move with six seconds to go. Legg answered with a deep 3-pointer at the buzzer. He caught the ball near the left sideline, turned and knocked down a 23-footer.
“You don’t expect that to go in,” Lake Stevens coach Mark Hein said, “but his last jumper of the game was actually, I think, the difference.”
Guard Mike Schneider had just four points for Lake Stevens, but had a solid all-around effort (five assists, three steals, three blocks).
At Lake Stevens H.S.
Stanwood1491814—55
Lake Stevens15131911—58
Stanwood — Asher 5, Schmidt 18, Johnson 12, Solvberg 9, Hushagen 3, Chabot 5, Haugstad, Orcutt 3, Wark. Lake Stevens — Legg 15, Schneider 4, TJ Dodge 9, Kaska 8, Stickney 10, Maw 4, Isaksen 6, Finley 2, Hanson, J. Dodge. 3-point goals — Schmidt 2, Asher 1, Johnson 1, Solvberg 1, Legg 1, Maw 1, Isaksen 1. Records — Stanwood 1-1 in division, 2-2 overall. Lake Stevens 2-0, 2-1.
Writer Mike Cane: mcane@heraldnet.com. Check out the prep sports blog Double Team at www.heraldnet.com/doubleteam.
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