SHORELINE — Fresh off convincing wins over defending league champion Mariner and previously unbeaten Meadowdale, it seemed like the Shorewood boys basketball team was finally turning the corner.
The Thunderbirds had a chance to push their league record over .500 for the first time this season and shake up the middle of the Western Conference 4A South Division standings with another impressive outing Tuesday night against Kamiak.
But the Knights managed to trample any momentum the T-birds had manufactured last week with a 71-67 victory at Shorewood High School.
The defeat leaves the T-birds (6-7 league, 7-8 overall) a game back of Mariner (7-6, 8-7) for the league’s fourth and final postseason berth with five games to go.
“It looked like we were tired tonight,” Shorewood coach Jeff Denny said. “I don’t know how that is in a big game like this. That’s just baffling right now.”
Kamiak’s quickness led to several fastbreak baskets and the Knights were granted even more easy hoops due to Shorewood’s repeated defensive breakdowns. The 71 points the T-birds allowed was a season high, topping the 70 points they gave up to Kamiak when the teams first met Jan. 3.
“On the defensive end I felt like we had no energy,” Denny said. “We didn’t play like a team that wants to get in the playoffs tonight. There’s no enthusiasm, we didn’t have any passion.”
The Knights led by five at the break and withstood a flurry of Shorewood rallies by shooting a red-hot 15 of 20 from the floor in the second half.
Senior Tyler Martinez hit three 3-pointers and scored 18 of his team-high 21 points in the second half for the Knights, who were 8-for-10 from the free throw line in the final 1:18.
After Kamiak opened the third period with a 10-0 run, Sean Tracey caught fire for the T-birds. The 6-foot-5 junior supplied Shorewood’s first 12 points of the fourth quarter, including nine unanswered during a 1:30 span that cut Kamiak’s lead to 61-60 with 2:15 to play.
“He stepped up big and knocked down some outside shots and got us back into it,” Denny said. “He gave us a shot at winning the game, unfortunately we didn’t finish.”
The T-birds pulled within a point once more with 42 seconds remaining when Rob Diederichs swished his second straight 3-pointer as part of his 19 points. Tracey led all scorers with 26 points and Michael Stiles added 12 on five of seven shooting.
Shorewood shot just 44 percent (seven of 16) from the free throw line and failed to convert a handful of open layups and close-range shots.
“We had several chances at breakaway points and missed in the first half,” Denny said. “We had some pretty easy chances inside and didn’t put them in.”
Consequently, the T-birds will find their backs pressed firmly against the wall over the next two weeks.
“It’s do or die pretty much,” Tracey said. “We’ve got to win the rest of our games to make the playoffs.”
On the plus side, while only one of Shorewood’s final five opponents sports a winning record, Mariner must still face Mountlake Terrace (11-3, 13-3) and Edmonds-Woodway (10-3, 12-3).
“We’re still in the playoff race,” Denny said. “We’ve got to win games and hope that things happen for us. You don’t want to be in that position, but that’s where we’re at.
“After our 0-4 (league) start, I’m happy to be where we’re at. It didn’t look too bright at the beginning of the year.”
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