Things are looking brighter for the Shorecrest boys basketball team with the postseason around the corner.
After an 0-7 start in the Western Conference South Division, Shorecrest has revived itself.
The Scots are 3-3 in the their last six games and also picked up a forfeit win from Shorewood to improve to 4-9 in the league and 7-10 overall. Shorecrest’s biggest win of the stretch came against Meadowdale Jan. 25 at home, a 64-57 overtime triumph. Meadowdale came into the game ranked ninth in the Associated Press 3A state poll with a 9-2 league record and 13-2 overall mark.
The Scots trailed Meadowdale by 14 in the third quarter after a couple 3-pointers by guard Paul Werner, who finished with 19 points.
“We changed our defense a little bit against Werner, stopped him from hitting the threes,” Fischer said. “We didn’t come back all at once, we just gradually came back.”
With about a minute to go, Shorecrest guard Jose Bermudez hit a 3-pointer to tie it at 52. Meadowdale drew a foul on its next possession and hit a pair of free throws to go up 54-52. Shorecrest’s Mark Golike responded, scoring off a move from the high post, dribbling right and spinning left to tie it. Meadowdale had a chance to win it, but Evan Matteson’s shot rolled off the rim and Matt Gorman’s putback fell short.
In the overtime period, Peter Meyers stole the ball, made a layup and drew a foul from Matteson, his fifth. Meyers and made the free throw and the momentum shifted Shorecrest’s way.
Shorecrest went on to make six of seven free throws in overtime and outscored the Mavericks 10-3.
Golike, who fouled out early in the fourth quarter against Jackson Jan. 22, picked up four fouls but managed to avoid the disqualification and scored 21 points, including nine in the fourth quarter. Guard Travis Hake added 12 points and Meyers added 10. Post Ryan Dodge grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds and scored seven points.
Fischer said Shorecrest has played better especially the last five games, but the Meadowdale game was the one where the Scots really finished in crunch time.
“We had trouble in all those games finishing a fourth quarter,” Fischer said. “We played well. We got the shots we wanted to get. We weren’t hitting them. We go to keep competing, keep putting ourselves in position to win at the end of the game. I was proud of the guys for persevering through those tough losses and giving themselves a chance to win.”
Not surprisingly, according to Fischer, the Scots improvement has coincided with the return of Meyers, the team’s point guard, from an ankle injury. The night Meyers returned, the Scots won their first league game against Mountlake Terrace.
Shorecrest also is getting double figure scoring from other players besides Golike, who leads the team averaging 14.7 points per game. Dodge, Meyers, Hake and Tommy Kanuch, who was out sick for the Meadowdale game, all have been solid contributors.
“This year I think we have a deeper team, a stronger bench and obviously Friday night’s game shows we can play with anybody,” Fischer said. “The cool thing about districts is what you did before doesn’t matter. You just have to be good at the end of the year. Hopefully we can take momentum into the postseason.”
4A District 1 wrestling tournament
Time: 4 p.m., Friday, Feb. 1; 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 2, at Marysville-Pilchuck High School.
The 411: Postseason wrestling action gets underway at Marysville with wrestlers from the Western Conference North and South Divisions facing off. The top five finishers automatically qualify for the regional tournament at Skyview High School, Feb. 9 (districts one and four). The sixth place wrestler wrestles a pigtail match against a district four wrestler to get into the bracket. Shorewood’s No. 1-ranked Tim Hester is the favorite at 189 pounds and he’ll likely have to face Edmonds-Woodway’s Rudy Johanson, who beat him last year at districts. Shorewood’s Matt Jensen is a favorite to move on to regionals at 152 pounds. Jackson’s Myles Bittinger (171) and Jared Mead (119) are among the Timberwolves’ top prospects.
Lynnwood at Shorecrest boys hoops
Game time: 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 5.
Records (through Jan. 29): Shorecrest (4-10 Wesco South, 7-11 overall); Lynnwood (6-8, 8-10).
Last meeting: Lynnwood 56, Shorecrest 52
Players to watch: Forward Mark Golike leads Shorecrest with a 14.7 average, point guard Peter Meyers averages 8.7 points, while Tommy Kanuch and Ryan Dodge shore up the inside game. Lynnwood’s Aaron Matzen leads Lynnwood in scoring with an 11.3 average and Andrew Beatty pours in an average of 10.5 points.
The 411: Both teams are playing well right now, with Shorecrest notching a big win over Meadowdale when it was ranked ninth in the state and Lynnwood beating 4A Jackson, Jan. 25. Playing at home should give Shorecrest a bit of an edge.
Enterprise pick: Shorecrest 61, Lynnwood 57
Meadowdale at Kamiak girls hoops
Game time: 7:30 p.m, Monday, Feb. 4.
Records (through Jan. 29): Meadowdale (10-2 Wesco South, 14-2 overall), Kamiak (9-3 Wesco South, 12-5 overall).
Last meeting: Meadowdale 68, Kamiak 61.
Players to watch: Meadowdale’s Eryn Jones leads the league in scoring with an average of 23.4 points per game. Fellow senior Alli Streit has come on strong of late, scoring 13 and 15 points in victories over Mariner and Shorecrest. Junior Hanna Fjortoft also is a scoring threat. Kamiak is led by Kelsey Patrick, who is averaging 17.9 points per game.
The 411: The Mavericks clawed their way to a 7-point victory in the two teams’ last match-up. Meadowdale’s Eryn Jones lit the Knights up for 33 points. Look for a more balanced approach on offense for the Mavericks, who must be disciplined on the boards. Kamiak has a height advantage, so it will be crucial for Meadowdale to box out. The Mavericks are looking to build momentum as they head to districts and Kamiak should be a good test.
Enterprise pick: Meadowdale 60, Kamiak 50.
Jackson at Kamiak boys hoops
Game time: 7:30 p.m., Friday, Feb. 1.
Records (through Jan. 28): Jackson (7-5 Wesco South, 8-5 overall), Kamiak (6-6 Wesco South, 8-8 overall).
Last meeting: Jackson 58, Kamiak 39.
Players to watch: Jackson’s Brett Kingma is averaging 17.1 points per game, while teammate Ryan Todd tallies 10.9 points. Kamiak has a bit more balanced offence with its top three players — Meka Este-McDonald, Skylar Stormo and Justin Glenn — averaging between 8 and 9 points per contest.
The 411: It’s hard to figure out the Timberwolves, which recently beat 4A contender Mariner, but then fell to 3A Lynnwood. Jackson’s inconsistency this season can be traced to its youth and relative inexperience. Jackson won by 19 points the first time this season. Expect a closer game this time. Jackson’s Brett Kingma and Ryan Todd are averaging double figures. The Wolfpack likely will need a third player to hit double figure to win.
Enterprise pick: Jackson 64, Kamiak 58.
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