The last three weeks were painful for Will Parker.
Nursing a grade-three ankle sprain, Skyline’s junior point guard watched his teammates struggle to a 3-4 record — unsure if he’d ever return this season.
Keeping hope alive, Parker worked hard to heal the torn ligaments in his right ankle. He also used his time on the bench as a chance to learn.
“It’s definitely taught me a lot, a different way to lead, a way to control my own game, especially reading the defense,” he said.
All the observation paid off Tuesday night as Parker, who took the court for the first time since hurting himself on Jan. 17, led Skyline’s offense to a 48-42 victory over Inglemoor in the opening round of the KingCo 4A tournament.
“It’s great to have his leadership back out there,” head coach J. Jay Davis said. “He’s a heady kid, the toughest kid I’ve coached.”
Parker, who led all scorers with 14 points, sparked the Spartans’ offense early and often with clutch shots and assists.
With the shot clock winding down early in the first quarter, Parker hoisted up a three-pointer from 35 feet, banking it in. The shot gave Skyline a 5-2 lead and the Spartans never trailed again. Parker was 5-for-10 from the field and 3-for-5 from beyond the three-point line.
“I focused the last couple days on getting back my legs,” said Parker, noting he wasn’t able to practice long jump shots because of his ankle. “They went into tonight.”
Inglemoor, which trailed 40-28 at the end of the third quarter, made a push in the final frame. The Vikings cut their deficit to just two, 44-42, when Jerry Molina drained a three-pointer with 3:07 left.
Parker came through big again, however. With the shot clock winding down and 55 seconds left in the game, the 5-foot-11 junior cut into the lane tossing up a one-handed runner. The shot bounced a little on the rim and fell in for a 46-42 lead.
Senior Kasen Williams sealed the victory with 30 seconds remaining, snagging a steal at half court and cruising in for a two-handed dunk — his second slam of the night. Williams finished with 12 points. Junior Lucas Shannon also scored 12 for the Spartans, getting many of those on offensive rebounds.
“I would guess in that fourth quarter that we probably got seven or eight second chances, which were huge,” Davis said.
Skyline, the No. 2 seed from the KingCo Crest, will face the state’s top ranked 4A team, Garfield, at 8:15 p.m., Friday in the second round of the KingCo 4A tournament at Juanita High School. The winner of Friday’s game will face either Ballard or Newport in the league championship, Feb. 18, and will be guaranteed a trip to the state tournament.
“We like playing against them because it’s a challenge these kids don’t get to face very often,” said Davis, of Garfield. “We’re looking forward to it, but we’ve got to come prepared.”
Eastlake drops opener to Ballard
Eastlake fought toe-to-toe with Ballard through three quarters of Tuesday’s opening round KingCo 4A playoff game, before falling short 71-57.
The Wolves, who led 34-33 at halftime, were outscored 21-12 in the final quarter.
Conner Iraola and Nick Kassuba scored 16 apiece for Eastlake while Ballard’s Salim Gloyd led all scorers with 25.
Eastlake now faces Woodinville in a loser-out game at 3 p.m., Friday, at Juanita. The winner will advance to face either Skyline or Garfield at 8:15 p.m., Tuesday at Juanita.
Eastside Catholic falls to Chief Sealth
A slow start to the second half did Eastside Catholic in Tuesday night as the Crusaders dropped their second-round Metro League game, 61-50, to Chief Sealth.
Down just 27-25 at halftime, Eastside was outscored 17-9 in the third quarter and couldn’t recover.
Jake Springfield led the Crusaders with 12 points. Chevy Walker and Joey Schreiber scored 11 and 10, respectively.
Eastside Catholic now faces West Seattle at 7 p.m., Thursday on the road. The winner gets the No. 7 seed to the Sea-King District tournament and the loser gets the No. 8 seed.
