SNOHOMISH — Jackson coach Steve Johnson doesn’t believe in moral victories.
But the Timberwolves’ second-half comeback attempt against Snohomish almost qualified as one.
Trailing by 23 points at halftime, Jackson chipped away at the Panthers’ lead and closed to within six points with about a minute and half left in the game.
But Snohomish made four critical free throws and hung on for a 75-67 victory in a first-round Northwest District 4A boys basketball tournament game Feb. 26 at Snohomish High School.
Coming out of halftime, Johnson just asked his team to play harder and not worry about the score.
“A 23-point lead wasn’t insurmountable and whether we were able to come back or not, we wanted to have some positive momentum building into the next game,” Johnson said. “We gave ourselves a chance to win and we did build some positive momentum for the future.”
The Timberwolves face Marysville-Pilchuck in a loser-out game at noon tomorrow (Saturday, March 1) at Jackson High School.
After a relatively even first period, Snohomish went on a 17-0 run to start the second quarter.
“They’re capable of making a lot of runs,” Johnson said. “They hit some 3-pointers in transition … we talked about not allowing them to get runs. Obviously for that critical period of the game we failed to do that.”
Jackson (13-9 overall) had some opportunities during the second quarter but the shots didn’t fall.
“We missed some good looks in the first half,” said Johnson. “Had we made those that 17-0 run would have been 17-8 or 17-10 and that was critical.”
Jackson senior guard Chris Keller scored 19 of his game-high 25 points in the second half, including three 3-pointers. Teammate Corey Hall finished with 20 points, 17 of which came in the second half.
A pair of 3-pointers by Jackson senior forward Craig Chambers helped trim the deficit to a more manageable 54-38 margin by the end of the third quarter.
Hall’s 3-point play cut the lead to 70-63 with 1:55 remaining in game. Snohomish then was called for a technical foul.
Keller made one of two free throws, as the Wolfpack closed to within six points.
But a pair of Jackson fouls sent Nate Parker and Garrett Heinemann to the line. The duo connected on all four free throws to clinch the Panthers’ victory.
“I don’t know what the difference was (in the second half,” Johnson said. “I think we finished better. When we had open shots, we made them.”
Snohomish (18-2) was led by Paul Brockman, who scored 21 points, and Jon Brockman, who had 20.
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