After trailing for much of its game against first-place Jackson, Meadowdale stormed back from an 8-point deficit in the final three minutes and to tie the score on a Connor Hamlett basket with five seconds remaining.
The Mavericks then rode the momentum in overtime, scoring the first seven points to hand the Timberwolves their first loss of the season 77-61 in a Western Conference South Division boys basketball game Jan. 8 at Meadowdale High School.
Hamlett scored a career-high 30 points and grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds as Meadowdale (5-2 in the league, 7-2 overall) overpowered the Wolfpack 18-2 in overtime.
“We just kind of hung in there the whole game,” said Meadowdale coach Chad McGuire. “Jackson was leading for most of the game.”
McGuire appreciated his players’ intensity, which was high throughout all four quarters.
“Even when we got down, we didn’t give up,” he said. “We battled and battled. Jackson is a great team. To hang in there was impressive.”
Hamlett connected on 12 of 13 free throws and was very aggressive on the offensive end.
“He was finishing his looks or getting fouls,” McGuire said.
The Timberwolves (6-1, 8-1) were pretty emotionally spent after Hamlett’s game-tying score; subsequently the Wolfpack did not get off a quality shot at the end of regulation.
“They won the tip,” Jackson coach Steve Johnson said of the start of overtime. “They made a basket right away. We had a turnover. They made another basket. … They took it to us in overtime.”
The Wolfpack practiced on Saturday and talked about the loss.
“When people think you’re pretty good, that’s how they are going to play you,” Johnson said.
The rematch is Feb. 5 at Jackson High School.
The victory should be a big boost for the Mavericks, which graduated most of their varsity players from last year’s state playoff team.
“I didn’t say much. I let them enjoy it,” McGuire said of his postgame talk. “We’ve spent the first part of the year gaining experienced and getting better. We have been improving.”
While Hamlett’s 30 points was a notable statistic, McGuire noted that Meadowdale crashed the boards well. Sam Werner had 10 rebounds to go with his 16 points and Dillon Sand also pulled down 10 boards.
“When they (Timberwolves) do miss, you’d better get the rebound,” McGuire said. “You can’t give them any second-chance opportunities.”
Junior guard Brett Kingma scored a game-high 32 points for Jackson. He connected on seven 3-pointers.
“When he crosses half court he’s a threat to shoot it from anywhere,” McGuire said. “They’re a great game. They’re very tough to guard.”
Austin O’Keefe scored 10 points and was the only other Jackson player in double figures. The Timberwolves attempted only five free throws. Meadowdale made 20 of 23 from the foul line.
“Some of the credit is due to our execution,” Johnson said. “We were shooting really well in the second quarter. We got a little too attached to the outside shot. … We weren’t able to get to the free throw line.”
The Wolfpack needed to be aggressive in getting to the hoop, he added.
Still the Timberwolves were positioned to win the game but missed some shots in which they had good looks, including a lay-up.
“We certainly had our chances,” Johnson said. “We had a chance to win. … I told the guys we’re not even half way through the season. Keep it in perspective and learn from it.”
Jackson’s best games are when other players besides league-leading scorer Kingma (24.6) are in the offensive mix. In victories over Glacier Peak and Shore-crest the Timberwolves had four and three players, respectively, scoring in double figures.
“We’re capable of putting several guys out on the floor who can score,” Johnson said. “We put a lot of pressure on the defense to defend our scorers.”
While Jackson’s offensive prowess is well-known, Johnson is just as pleased with the Wolfpack’s defense.
“We’ve played good pressure defense,” he said. “We’d dictated to the opponents on the defensive end. It’s not always there.”
McGuire was pleased with the Mavericks’ energy and hustle against Jackson.
“We had people diving on the floor for loose balls,” he said. “We have to bring that energy on the road. We have to play just as hard when we’re in someone else’s gym.”
Heading into Tuesday night’s games, Meadowdale moved into a tie for second-place with 3A rival Shorecrest. The Mavericks are on the road against district rivals Lynnwood and Mountlake Terrace this week. Jackson also faces Mountlake Terrace and is on the road at Kamiak later in the week.
MEADOWDALE DOWNS SHORECREST: The Meadowdale Mavericks had their big guns held in check for the first quarter, but Matt Beucherie and Connor Hamlett got hot in the second and third quarter, giving Meadowdale a Wesco South boys basketball victory 55-42 over Shorecrest Jan. 5 at Meadowdale High School.
Meadowdale started off slow, not getting open looks at the basket and turning the ball over, totaling four points in the first quarter, but Shorecrest didn’t completely take advantage of Meadowdale’s errors, holding a 9-4 lead after the first period.
Meadowdale turned it on, outscoring Shorecrest 20-12 in the second quarter and 22-11 in the third for a 46-32 lead heading into the final quarter.
“We held it close, and kept it close,” Meadowdale assistant head coach Dean Wiley said, “then we hit a couple big threes to extend the lead in the third quarter. That was our big run.”
Hamlett had eight points in the third, and Beucherie had nine, including two big 3-pointers to spark the Mavericks. Hamlett finished the game with 16 points, 10 rebounds and three assists. Beucherie ended with 15 points on the night.
“I thought we were very solid defensively, we limited their open shots and we rebounded pretty well,” Wiley said.
Meadowdale shot a perfect 9-for-9 from the free-throw line, and Shorecrest was 10-for-14 from the line.
Herald staff contributed to this story.
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