Issaquah Eagles senior forward Tanner Davis was an unstoppable force against the Woodinville Falcons boys basketball team in a showdown between KingCo 4A rivals.
Davis dominated in every aspect of the game, scoring a game-high 37 points in Issaquah’s 74-63 win on Dec. 12 at Issaquah High School. The Eagles improved their overall record to 2-2 with the win while Woodinville dropped to 1-2. Issaquah led 28-27 in the second quarter but extended their lead to 58-44 by the end of the third quarter to put Woodinville’s comeback bid out of reach. The Eagles, who defeated the Falcons in the Class 4A KingCo title game last season, were amped for the matchup with one of their fiercest rivals.
“This was a statement game,” Eagles head coach Neil Mendez said.
Davis couldn’t agree more with Mendez’s assessment.
“We knew this was a pivotal win to get. The team needed me to have a big game. My teammates were just getting me open and making plays,” Davis said. “We were getting stops on defense and allowing transition to get out. That is what really got me going. It was basically all because of my teammates.”
Mendez wasn’t surprised to see Davis find his groove.
“He is the engine of this team,” Mendez said of Davis. “He has the most amount of experience on the team and we just want him to be aggressive. He is the heart and soul of the squad for sure.”
Davis believed the key to the Eagles success in the final three quarters against Woodinville was due to one of Issaquah’s unsung reserve players.
“We were going back and forth (28-27 lead) but once we got Jackson Suh subbed in there, he locked down their best player (Ethan Tarbet) and gave us energy off the bench. That sparked us to get on that run that we went on,” Davis said.
Mendez said his team improved its defense in the middle of the second quarter, which lasted for the duration of the game.
“We needed to get back in transition and get our hands on the shooters. It was really a matter of just playing basketball and not overthinking too much. We had a lot of energy and effort. That is what we’re looking for,” Mendez said.
