King’s boys overpower Vikings

MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — As soon as the King’s boys basketball team clinched a spot in the state playoffs, the Knights began adding new wrinkles to their game plan.

All of which were strictly off limits in last week’s Class 1A Tri-district championship showdown with Chinook League rival Bellevue Christian.

Limited to running only their base sets, the Knights still generated enough firepower to jolt the Vikings 49-40 Feb. 27 at Mountlake Terrace High School and earn their first district title since 1983.

“Our goal tonight was just to play. Not do anything that was special,” King’s coach Marv Morris said. “Not do any trick plays, not show anything extra. Nothing new.”

Even with the restrictions set in place by Morris, the Knights (15-9 overall) never trailed Bellevue Christian and led by as many as 13 at the 3:02 mark of the third quarter.

The Vikings used an 8-0 run to trim their deficit to 41-38 with 2:24 remaining. But King’s held on by hitting all seven of its fourth-quarter free throws, including four straight from senior guard Chris Faidley in the final 45 seconds.

Faidley led all scorers with 23 points and spent most of his time at the free throw line, where he was 12 of 14. The Vikings hounded Faidley all night, but the physical play didn’t deter the Chinook League MVP.

“The last couple times we’ve played them it’s gotten more and more physical,” Faidley said. “Their defense is tough and our defense is tough. It’s hard to score on each other.”

“They try to block him from going anywhere,” added Morris. “I understand that, but it gets a little old sometimes.”

Vikings coach Mike Downs implements a three-pronged process to guarding Faidley, who was held to his second-lowest point total of the season when the teams first met in mid-December.

“You’ve got to chase him, you’ve got to extend the screens and you’ve got to zone the middle because the screener is going to be open,” Downs said.

Faidley tossed a wrench in those plans by continually driving to the hoop from the wing and drawing fouls.

“We give him a lot of freedom,” Morris said. “I tell Chris, ‘If you don’t go to the hoop, you’ll never get shots outside. They’ve got to know you’re going to the hoop.’ I told him, ‘If the guy is all over you, go to the hoop. If you’ve got a chance to take it, take it.’

“Chris has pretty much free range to do anything. As long as he takes decent shots I have no complaints. He’s not a selfish basketball player.”

Christian Ostrom sank a pair of free throws and a layup in the final 2:10 to protect King’s lead. The senior guard also grabbed five rebounds and drew a charge in the first minute of the game.

King’s forward Calvin Fugii finished with seven points and seven boards and Jared Madrazo chipped in six points off three mid-range jumpers.

Bellevue Christian tried to answer from 3-point territory, but was 3-for-18 on the night. In the fourth quarter the Vikings were 2-for-8 from the free throw line.

“They’ve got some outstanding shooters,” Morris said. “They didn’t shoot as well tonight. If they have a great night shooting threes, they can beat anybody, anytime, anywhere. They can light it up some nights.”

Though he downplayed the importance of the contest in regards to what’s in store for the Knights at this week’s state tournament in Yakima, Morris noted one positive about the hard-fought victory.

With King’s moving up to the Class 2A ranks next year, its ongoing rivalries with Bellevue Christian and other Chinook League teams are over for the time being.

“It’s the last Chinook team we’ll play and they were the best this year. That’s what made it special for our team and our seniors,” Morris said.

At least one Chinook team has advanced to the 1A state championship game five of the past six seasons and the league has produced three title teams: Seattle Christian in 2000 and King’s in 2001 and 2002.

Next year, King’s, Bellevue Christian and Seattle Christian will all be a part of different conferences.

“I’m going to miss the relationships I’ve had with the coaching staffs (and) the great rivalries we’ve had,” Downs said. “Our teams have proved we’re tournament tough when we get over to Yakima.”

King’s was placed in the top half of this year’s tournament bracket, along with Yakima Valley District champion Zillah, Northeast League champ Northwest Christian and Southwest District power Toledo.

Only two teams in the draw have sustained more losses than the Knights, who boast an .850 winning percentage (17-3) over the past five 1A tournaments to go with a pair of first-place banners.

Faidley is the only returning starter from last year’s team that took a modest 13-10 record into the tournament and finished fourth.

“We’re a good basketball team with heart,” Morris said. “I’m not saying we’ve got all these great individual players. We’re a good team by how we play together and work hard together. That’s what can win games for you.”