Dreams of making a return trip to the Tacoma Dome are undoubtedly ingrained in the minds of the Issaquah Eagles boys basketball team.
Flashback to 10 months ago: The Issaquah Eagles hoisted a third place trophy at the Class 4A state basketball tournament at the Tacoma Dome. The Eagles nearly advanced to the championship game, losing to the Garfield Bulldogs 61-59 in the semifinals in a contest featuring 18 lead changes and 19 ties. Following the loss to Garfield, the Eagles made a statement with 60-49 win against the Todd Beamer Titans in the third place/fourth place game.
The 2014-15 boys basketball season is essentially at its halfway point and the Eagles are proving themselves to be a contender to return to the Class 4A state tournament at the Tacoma Dome in two months. The Eagles have put together an overall record of 8-4 including a 7-1 record in KingCo league play thus far.
If the Eagles do indeed make the 40-mile trek down the Interstate 5 corridor this March, it will be behind their swarming defense and attention to detail on both sides of the floor. Issaquah flexed its proverbial muscle against one of their oldest rivals, conquering the Newport Knights 56-47 on Jan. 3 in their first contest since returning from the Holiday Classic in Palm Springs in the last week of December.
The Eagles may have gone 1-3 at the tourney, but they returned home with a renewed sense of purpose and led from start to finish against a formidable Newport squad. The Eagles split their next two contests, registering a 75-62 win against the Bothell Cougars on Jan. 6 before suffering a 76-73 loss to the Skyline Spartans on Jan 9.
The backcourt consisting of co-captains Tyler Gibson and Jason Crandall set the tone for the Eagles in all aspects of the game. They’re great shooters from the perimeter and play a tough hard nosed defensive style that permeates throughout the rest of the squad. The 2014-15 season still is fairly young, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Issaquah Eagles to punch their ticket to the state tournament for the second consecutive season.
Shaun Scott: 425-453-5045; sscott@bellevuereporter.com
