T-birds facing make-or-break stretch

SHORELINE — Close games continue to terrorize an unquestionably talented but troubled Shorewood boys basketball team.

The Thunderbirds are 0-4 in games decided by fewer than four points and are slipping out of postseason contention with each narrow defeat.

Shorewood begins the second half of the regular season tied with Jackson for sixth place in the Western Conference 4A South Division.

Over the next week the T-birds (4-5 league, 5-6 overall) face a make-or-break stretch against the league’s top three teams: Mountlake Terrace, Mariner and Meadowdale.

“It’s tough to take these close losses, but it’s not like we’ve played poorly and I’m disappointed. We’re close to where we need to be,” Shorewood coach Jeff Denny said.

“Everybody’s playing everybody tough. We hope that continues the second half of the season so we can get back in the playoff race.”

Shorewood dismissed Everett 79-63 Tuesday night for its fourth win in five games. Senior forward Michael Stiles scored 11 of his team-high 17 points during a 24-6 second-quarter run.

Rob Diederichs added 13 points, Aaron Kessler, Blake Bernhard and Dan Hyseni each scored nine and Sean Tracey finished with eight for the T-birds.

Edmonds-Woodway ended Shorewood’s three-game winning streak by pulling out a slim 52-49 victory Jan. 19.

Diederichs tipped in his own miss with 2:12 remaining to give the T-birds a 48-46 lead. But E-W’s Josh Griffin knotted the score with a baseline jumper and Huston Conti sank four free throws in the final minute to sink Shorewood.

“That was a great win on the road, in front of a big crowd,” E-W coach Rob McMains said. “This is what we’ve been working for. I couldn’t be more pleased with our poise and confidence down the stretch.”

Shorewood had a chance to tie the game in the last 35 seconds but threw the ball away on a pass to the post. Three missed free throws in the final 1:35 and a blown dunk with three minutes to go also cost the T-birds.

“We need to take better care of the ball in crunch time,” Denny said. “We aren’t valuing each possession in the last four minutes. We’re taking some shots that would be OK early in the game, but not in the situations we’re finding ourselves in.”

The first half closed with a 3-point display, as the teams combined for six straight treys. Stiles drained the seventh 3-pointer of the half at the buzzer to make it 24-all at the break.

Bernhard’s putback at the 3:50 mark of the fourth quarter put the T-birds in front 46-41, but Conti answered with one of E-W’s six 3-pointers.

While Shorewood has yet to live up to some rather lofty preseason projections, the Warriors have exceeded expectations with their 9-2 start.

“We weren’t one of the league favorites at the start of the season. We didn’t have any of that pressure,” McMains said. “Now we’ll get a little more focus. We’re just excited to be in the thick of this and have a shot at the playoffs.”

The T-birds are well aware another loss would be devastating to their postseason chances. An 0-4 Wesco South start left Shorewood with some serious ground to make up, starting tonight against Mountlake Terrace.

“I’ve told the guys our backs are against the wall and we have to fight,” Denny said. “I have a lot of confidence in these guys. We haven’t closed up shop by a long ways.”