Skyline had victory in its sights Wednesday afternoon’s opening-round state playoff game, but a three-point attempt from Conner Gacek was off the mark as the final buzzer sounded.

The Spartans, who were making their first state tournament appearance since 2003, and only their second ever, fell 45-43 to Jackson in the opening round of the boys 4A state tournament in Tacoma.

Skyline led 38-30 with 6:55 left in the game, but a series of Jackson steals and easy buckets got the Timberwolves back in the game.

The Spartans led the entire second half until Jackson’s Brett Kingma grabbed consecutive steals in the final 43 seconds, scoring his second of two break-away baskets with 20 seconds left for a 45-43 lead.

The Spartans led 14-10 after the first quarter and trailed for only a brief period of time in the second quarter, including a 27-26 halftime deficit.

Skyline, which outrebounded Jackson 36-28, committed 18 turnovers, including four crucial miscues in the fourth quarter.

Will Parker led the Spartans with 14 points, while Cory Hutsen had 11 and Kasen Williams had 10. Kingma led all scorers with 18 points.

Skyline faced Davis of Yakima Thursday in a loser-out game. The winner of that game will move into the consolation semifinals at 11 a.m., Friday.

Keep an eye on The Reporter Web sites, www.issaquah-reporter.com or www.sammamish-reporter.com for updated scores and stories. Follow live reports at www.twitter.com/issy_sam_sports.