Hostile crowd. Controversial calls. The absence of their top rebounder.
The elements seemed stacked against the Issaquah boys basketball team Tuesday night, but the Eagles never folded as they held off KingCo Crown leader Inglemoor for a 61-58 road victory.
“The kids played hard, they played their tails off,” Issaquah head coach Jeff Altchech said.
The Eagles, who led nearly the entire first half, fell behind by eight points, 36-28, in the first three minutes of the third quarter. Three minutes later, they completed a 10-0 run capped off by a Joe Evans’ three-pointer. The shot gave Issaquah a 38-36 lead with 2:21 to go in the third, and the Eagles never trailed again.
“We fell behind a couple times and they just kept fighting, I’m proud of them,” Altchech said.
Free throws and tough defensive play were crucial for Issaquah down the stretch. The Eagles hit 13 of 15 free throws in the second half, and were 10-for-11 in the fourth quarter.
“Every single practice we’re shooting free throws, we’re getting a lot better,” senior Connor McClain said.
McClain was 3-for-3 at the line in the fourth and scored seven of his 11 points in the frame. He also drew a key charge, and snagged several important rebounds in the closing minutes. He earned the start in place of Sean Stuby, who was ineligible for Tuesday’s game.
“I tried to do everything I could to just step up and help the team without our biggest rebounder, to get the energy going,” McClain said.
The Eagles showed their grit the score tied 54-54 and 1:34 left in the contest. Senior Ross Zuhl appeared to complete a continuation three-point play opportunity. The referees first ruled he was fouled before the shot, then ruled the shot good, before finally settling on it being no shot. Zuhl calmly tuned out the Viking faithful, stepped up to the line and knocked down two free throws.
Issaquah for all but 2 seconds of the first half, taking its largest lead, 17-10, in the final seconds of the first quarter. Inglemoor nabbed its first lead in the waning seconds of the second quarter on a steal and acrobatic lay-in from Benji Bryant.
Bryant led all scorers with 24 points, while the Viking’s Andy McElwee scored 18. Issaquah was led by Drew Nale’s 14 points. He was 3-for-4 from the field in the first half and was 7-for-8 from the free throw line in the second half. Zuhl added 10 points and Evans had nine.
Issaquah, which faces Redmond at 8 p.m., tonight on the road, improved to 5-2 in KingCo 4A play and 6-5 overall. The Eagles have won four straight and five of their last six.
“We’re all coming together as a team right now,” McClain said. “We’re just all picking up and trusting one another, sharing the ball, doing the right things on the court and playing good team ball.”
Issaquah 58, Skyline 40
Issaquah defeated Skyline 58-40 on Friday night behind the 20 points of Robby Primrose. Ross Zuhl had 14 and Sean Stuby added 10 for the Eagles. The Spartans were led by Cory Hutsen’s 14.
