SHORELINE — Once again, the Shoreline Christian boys basketball team jumped out to quick start.
And once again, they let a big lead disappear quickly in the second half.
The Crusaders led by 10 points at the half and by 14 points early in the third quarter, only to witness Mount Vernon Christian mount a spirited comeback and beat them 45-40.
“It’s some sort of mental and physical hump we’re not getting over,” Shoreline Christian head coach Adam Haulter said. “They’re a solid team. I don’t feel they’re better than us.”
Mount Vernon Christian’s Jeff Schloemer scored six points in the fourth quarter including the go-ahead basket with 6:43 to go. Point guard Daniel Westra made 6-of-6 free throws down the stretch to help seal the Northwest A/B League win.
The game mirrored a loss to Sunnyside Christian Dec. 30 in which Shoreline Christian also let a 14-point second half lead slip away.
“In the second half we kind of lose our focus because we have a double-digit lead,” Crusader guard James Vermeer said. “Once they get their momentum going we kind of can’t stop it. The other teams start to play aggressive and we start to make poor decisions.”
The Crusaders scored the first four points of the third quarter to take a 29-15 lead, but then went cold. Mount Vernon Christian chipped away and finished the quarter on an 8-0 run. Westra scored as time ran out in the quarter to cut the lead to 33-32.
In the fourth quarter, the Hurricanes snagged its first lead on a layup by Schloemer.
Schloemer scored on a putback to give Mount Vernon Christian a 41-38 lead but Evan Wahlman scored an inside layup with 1:01 to play to cut the advantage to one.
With 22 seconds to go, the Crusaders were forced to foul Westra, and he knocked down a pair of free throws to extend the lead to 43-40.
Needing a 3-pointer to tie, the Crusaders got the ball into the hands of leading scorer Grant Brandal.
With the Hurricanes’ Daniel VanderKooy draped all over him, Brandal launched a tough shot from behind the arc, but it drew iron. The Hurricanes’ grabbed the rebound and Westra was fouled with one second left. He hit both free throws to ice the game.
Brandal finished with 14 points to lead Shoreline Christian but only scored three in the second half. He was the only Crusader to score in double figures.
“We need to more people to be consistent every night, regardless of what Grant does,” Vermeer said.
The Crusaders raced out to a 20-5 lead, before Mount Vernon Christian responded with an 8-0 run. Brandal scored Shoreline Christian’s final five points of the half as the Crusaders took a 25-15 lead into the locker room.
“The first half we didn’t play with intensity,” said Westra, who led the Hurricanes with 15 points. “The second half we picked up that intensity, we played with heart.”
“It’s pretty big,” Westra said of the win. “They’re one of our big games of the year.”
Shoreline Christian shot 37 percent from the field (15-41) while Mount Vernon Christian shot 35 percent (16-46).
Shoreline Christian rebounded to beat Orcas Island 58-40 Jan. 14 at home. Darrington beat the Crusaders (3-6 league, 7-8 overall) 65-50 Jan. 17.
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