Michael Russo simply ran out of big plays Monday afternoon in the second round of the Bellevue Community College Christmas Classic.
After carrying Eastlake on his back with a career-high 29 points and 16 rebounds, the junior couldn’t get off a final shot that would have sent the Wolves to overtime with Kennedy.
“Russo was a warrior in there,” Eastlake head coach Pat Bangasser said.
Taking the ball the distance of the court with 8.4 seconds left and down 60-58, the 6-foot-4 guard dribbled off his foot into the hands of Lancer defender. Kennedy picked the loose ball up with 1.2 seconds left, was fouled, and hit two free throws to seal a 62-58 victory.
Just moments earlier Russo was fouled on a three-point shot. Trailing 58-55, and with 13 seconds to go, he calmly knocked down all three shots to tie the game.
“(He) did a good job hitting them down the stretch with a little pressure on,” Bangasser said.
Kennedy’s Tre Watson answered Russo’s made free throws, dribbling the ball the distance of the court and getting fouled at the rim. He knocked down two free throws to put the Lancers ahead for good.
Eastlake led Kennedy from the first quarter through the third quarter, taking its largest lead of the game 13-4 in the first.
The Wolves ran into their problems, however, in the fourth quarter when the Lancers took their first lead on a Deshea Bell three-pointer. Kennedy went up by as many as six in the quarter.
“We just felt like we were out of shape and that was the difference,” Bangasser said. “You get fatigued and it not only affects your physical game, it affects your mental game as well.”
Russo ended the game 9-for-21 from the field and hit nine of 12 free throws. He was 2-for-5 from behind the three-point line. Michael Maguire added 11 points for the Wolves, who moved to 1-4 overall.
While the loss was tough to swallow, Bangasser was pleased with the improvement he’s seen lately.
“We felt like we took a step in the right direction today,” he said.
Eastlake faced South Kitsap on in the BCC Christmas consolation round Tuesday afternoon. The Wolves are scheduled to face Plateau rival Skyline at 3 p.m., Saturday at SHS.
Enumclaw 63, Eastlake 51
Eastlake stayed with undefeated Enumclaw in the BCC Christmas Classic opener Saturday night for three quarters. The Hornets pulled away in the fourth, however, to nab a 63-51 win.
Chad Marxen hit an acrobatic left-handed layup with 6:10 to go in the game, tying the score 44-44. Enumclaw answered with a 15-0 run over the next four minutes to seal the victory.
Eastlake’s Turner Lee led all scorers with 23 points. Riley Carel had 18 for the Hornets.
