Fourth quarter execution proved to be a pivotal factor for the Issaquah Eagles against the Kentwood Conquerors in the Class 4A boys basketball fourth place/sixth place matchup on the final day of the state tournament.

Issaquah outscored Kentwood 16-5 in the final minutes of regulation, capturing a 61-51 win to earn fourth place in the Class 4A tournament on March 7 at the Tacoma Dome. The Eagles hit 10 free throws from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter to put the game away. Issaquah senior Ty Gibson had a game-high 32 points and seven rebounds in the victory. Gibson went 10-for-18 from the field. Gibson scored a total of 87 points during the tournament, which broke the previous tournament record of 81 points scored in 2011.

“It couldn’t happen to a better kid,” Issaquah Eagles head coach Jason Griffith said of Gibson attaining the state record.

“He’s worked hard for four years for this program. To see him come in here and perform the way he did on the biggest stage as far as high school basketball is concerned, it was fun to watch.”

Griffith said Gibson has transformed the basketball program since arriving as a freshman during the 2011-12 season.

“He’s definitely led the turn around. Five years ago we came here (as a coaching staff) and our goal was to make Issaquah important again. Ty was the guy who started his freshman year and ended up leading us to the state tournament.  We’ve gone the past two years now.”

The Eagles trailed 49-48 after three quarters but Griffith’s plan in the second half worked to perfection in the final eight minutes of the 2014-15 season. The Eagles zone defense stifled the Conquerors offense while the Issaquah offense aggressively attacked the basket to get to the free throw line consistently in the fourth quarter. Eagles’ guard Jason Crandall recorded a steal and cruised to a driving lay-up, giving the Eagles a 52-48 lead with 3:51 left in regulation. Issaquah never relinquished their momentum following Crandall’s clutch play.

“We felt like whoever was going to make that first run was going to win the game. We just challenged our kids each quarter. I felt like they (Kentwood) got a little stationery when we went to the zone (defense),” Griffith said. “They missed a couple of shots and we capitalized in transition with a couple of steals. We started knocking down some free throws too.”

The Eagles have advanced to the state tournament three times in the past four seasons.

“It’s really special,” Gibson said. “When I was an eighth grader Issaquah didn’t even make it to the KingCo tournament. It says a lot about this senior class. This is a special group of players. We put in a lot of work to get this program to where it is now. I think the younger guys will continue that.”

Griffith said he will look back on the 2014-15 season with fond memories.

“It was a great season. At the end of the day we played over 50 percent of our season with one guy having a lot of experience and that was Ty Gibson. You always see great high school players lead their teams back to the state tournament and he did that,” Griffith said.

The Eagles were determined to place at the state tournament after losing 63-55 to Union in the Class 4A quarterfinals on March 5.

“It feels great. After we lost to Union we came together as a team and said we wanted to win the next two games to get fourth place,” Gibson said.  “To accomplish that goal after a heartbreaking loss like that. It means a lot and is a great way to end my career here,” Gibson said.

Gibson scores 42 points in loser-out contest

Gibson simply wouldn’t let his team’s season end in a loser-out state playoff game against the Moses Lake Chiefs.

Gibson scored a staggering 42 points in Issaquah’s 74-61 win against Moses Lake on March 6 at the Tacoma Dome. Crandall said Gibson was in the zone against Moses Lake.

“I don’t even remember him missing any shots. I was surprised he scored 42 because he did it within the parameters of our team offense. He was just getting shots out of our offense. He played an amazing game,” Crandall said of Gibson.

Gibson went 16-for-18 from the free throw line and 11-of-20 from the field.

“He has had some special games in his career but 42 points on this stage doesn’t surprise me though,” Griffith said.