There’s no hiding it.
A rivalry has developed between Skyline and Bothell the last couple of years — mostly because of epic clashes on the football field.
On Tuesday night, the schools matched the intensity in a different venue.
After suffering a state-semifinal defeat in football, Bothell’s basketball team earned redemption of sorts, eking out a 57-54 overtime victory on its home floor over Skyline.
Cold shooting, turnovers and indecisiveness plagued the Spartans — a possible relation to the late arrival of four members of Skyline’s state champion football football team.
“It’s very difficult, and it’s not an excuse … but we’ve got four new guys we’ve got to integrate into everything we’re doing,” Spartan head coach J. Jay Davis said. “We’re struggling with that at this point.”
Tied 50-50 going into overtime, it was a pair of Skyline’s 18 turnovers that ultimately put the Spartans in a hole they could dig out of. Bothell’s Oliver Hurtin forced two steals in the opening minutes of overtime, knocking down a free throw and scoring on an acrobatic lay-in for a 53-50 lead. Down 55-50, Skyline fought back to pull within one, 55-54, with 20 seconds remaining. Bothell’s Dominic Ballard knocked down two free throws with 15 seconds left, however, and Connor Gacek’s three-point attempt with 3 seconds left was just off the mark.
Skyline hit 20 of 58 shots (34 percent) Tuesday, en route to its first loss of the season.
“We did have a lot of good looks,” Davis said. “Again, it’s guys who aren’t completely familiar with what we’re trying to run. We’ll go back tomorrow and we’ll correct all that.”
While the loss was tough, Davis was happy with his teams’ no-quit attitude. The Spartans trailed the Cougars 39-28 early in the fourth quarter, before going on a 22-11 run to close regulation.
“I was proud of the way we finished and fought back,” Davis said. “We could have folded tents at 3 minutes and we didn’t. There’s a lot of character on this team, and I love that about these guys.”
Kasen Williams benefited from a full-court press with 41 seconds left the fourth quarter, getting a steal and a lay-in for a 50-50 tie. Skyline followed with a defensive stop, but a potential game-winning jumper from Gacek in the final seconds came up short. Miles Edwards rebounded the ball under the hoop, but Bothell got another steal before he could get off a shot.
The Cougar’s Kyle McAllister led all scorers with 22 points. Ballard added 16 points. Cory Hutsen and Edwards had 12 points apiece to lead the Spartans.
Skyline fell to 1-1 in league and 2-1 overall with the loss. Bothell improved to 2-0 in league and 3-0 overall.
Issaquah falls to 0-3 in league
Issaquah lost its third straight KingCo 4A game Tuesday night, falling 57-37 to Lake Washington on the road.
The Kangaroos outscored the Eagles 24-12 in the fourth quarter, sealing the victory. Lake Washington’s Ryan Guisness led all scorers with 17 points. Nick Price had a team best 11 points for Issaquah, which dropped to 0-3 in league and 2-3 overall.
Wolves lose OT heartbreaker to Falcons
Eastlake came up just shy of its second league victory Tuesday night, falling 49-48 to Woodinville in overtime.
Michael Russo scored a game-high 19 points for the Wolves, but he was the only player in double-figures. The Falcons had three players with double-figure points led by Spencer Teachout’s 13 points. Eastlake fell to 1-2 in league and 2-2 overall with the loss.
Sealth wins big over EC
Eastside Catholic suffered its third straight loss Tuesday night, falling 63-38 to Chief Sealth on the road. The Seahawks led from start to finish, paced by Tomas Ogbaslassie’s 15 points. The Crusaders were led by Jon Callans’ eight points. EC fell to 1-3 in league and 1-4 overall with the loss.
