TACOMA — The Jackson boys basketball team had every reason to roll over in overtime.
The Timberwolves had just seen its five-point lead over Cascade wiped out in the final minutes of regulation in a loser-out Class 4A state tournament game.
After the Bruins made a pair of free throws to draw to 61-58 with 1:29 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Wolfpack missed the front-end of a one-and-one free throw opportunity and saw Cascade senior guard Phillip Thomas drill a 3-pointer to tie the score at 61 with 45 seconds to go.
Jackson’s Drew Eisinger then missed a potential game-winning shot with just over a second remaining.
The momentum seemed to be going Cascade’s way as the two teams headed into overtime.
But the overtime period turned out to be all Jackson as the Timberwolves scored the first six points en route to a 76-65 victory March 9 at the Tacoma Dome.
“I’m really proud of our kids,” Jackson coach Steve Johnson said. “The way we went into overtime — missing a free throw, giving up a 3 — to answer the ball and come out and outscore them by 11 … shows a lot of toughness and that’s the thing I’m most proud of. They were deflated. They could have just rolled over, but they didn’t.
“It would have been in some people’s eyes understandable, but they didn’t. They took control in overtime right away.”
Junior guard Jamie Eisinger connected on a pair of free throws to start the period and older brother Drew Eisinger followed with six straight points (a 2-point bucket and four free throws). The senior standout finished with a game-high 27 points.
“I’ve only had one guy play for me four years and I’ve never had a freshman on varsity except for him,” Johnson said of Drew Eisinger. “I just think he’s an unbelievable player. When he got a little tired he took the ball to the basket and got fouled in overtime and stuck the free throws … I think he set the tone in overtime in terms of overcoming the disappointment of going to overtime and answering back.”
Jackson made 13 of 14 free throws in overtime. Jamie Eisinger and Brian Rucker each scored 19 points as Jackson won its first ever game at the Class 4A tournament. The Timberwolves went 1-2 at the Class 2A state tourney in 1997.
“We have three really good guards,” Johnson said. “We found our shooting range today. It was just a great game.”
Though Jackson and Cascade are only a few miles apart, the two teams did not face each other this season since they play in different leagues. Jackson is in the Western Conference South Division, while Cascade is in the North Division.
Players on the two teams, however, know each other well.
“It feels good, especially winning against our rivals,” Drew Eisinger said. “I know guys on their team. I’m friends with a few of the guys. It feels good to play against them and to get a win out there.”
Johnson had a lot of empathy for Cascade coach Kevin Rohrich, who was an assistant for Johnson when he was coaching at Woodinville.
“It’s tough to go against friends and guys you respect so much,” Johnson said. “I do feel for them.”
The first half was a tale of two different quarters. The Bruins jumped out a 22-14 advantage as senior center Marcus Guffey scored eight of his 20 points.
The Timberwolves then switched to a 1-3-1 zone defense, which helped slow down Cascade.
“I thought we had to do something,” Johnson said. “They scored 20 points in the first six minutes of the game. We had to zone that to kind of stem the tide and break the momentum. We were successful in doing that.”
Jackson junior guard Brian Rucker scored 11 points, including three 3-pointers, to spearhead a 24-12 second quarter rally as the Wolfpack took a 38-34 halftime advantage.
“A lot of times I feel like we’re a first quarter team,” Drew Eisinger said. “We didn’t come out today. I don’t think we were ready. We were lucky we turned it on soon enough.”
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