J. Jay Davis’ philosophy is simple — when there’s doubt, put the ball in the hands of the best athlete in the state.
That’s exactly what Skyline’s head coach did in the most crucial of situations Tuesday as the Spartans defeated Woodinville, 57-50, in a loser-out KingCo 4A playoff game.
With 33 seconds remaining and just 1 second on the shot clock, junior guard Will Parker lobbed an inbound pass from the baseline high in the air. Soaring in from seemingly nowhere, senior Kasen Williams caught the ball at its highest point and released a 5-foot shot with the softest of touch — nothing but net.
“He’s the best athlete in the state and you just say, ‘throw it up there and see what happens,'” Davis said. “If any coach tells you I’ve got a play like that for every occasion, he’s lying to you.”
The bucket gave Skyline a 52-47 lead and provided the Spartans much-needed breathing room down the stretch. Woodinville hit a three-pointer on the ensuing position, but Skyline went 5-for-6 from the free-throw line in the final 20 seconds.
Williams scored 10 of his game-high 24 points in the fourth quarter.
“He was massive,” Davis said. “He’s got that groin issue that he’s had since football season. It flares up on him every now and then. The kid’s beat up and he just keeps doing whatever it takes to win.”
Skyline trailed Woodinville 16-10 after one quarter and fell behind by as many as eight points, 20-12, with 6 minutes left in the second quarter. The Spartans got a spark, however, when Williams stole a pass at half court and continued to the hoop for a monstrous two-handed dunk. The play gave Skyline life as the Spartans went on a 11-3 run to close out the first half, bringing the halftime score to 23-23.
“We just weren’t present the first 5 minutes of the game,” Davis said. “These guys sometimes need their cages rattled. You’ve just got to let them know it’s not acceptable.”
The contest went back and forth for most of the second half. The Spartans and Falcons were tied five times and exchanged the lead five times down the stretch.
Parker went 3-for-4 from the free-throw line in the final seconds, moving his total points to nine. He also had a key steal in the final 12 seconds. Max Browne and Lucas Shannon added six points apiece for the Spartans.
The Falcons, who ended their season with a 11-12 record, were led by Peter Flint’s 14 points.
The victory moved Skyline (14-9) into another loser-out game against Newport (15-8) at 8:15 p.m., Thursday at Juanita High School. The winner will host the WesCo No. 3 team on Tuesday, Feb. 22 in a winner-to-state game.
“We’ve just got to gut up and just trust who we are,” Davis said. “We’re athletes, we play hard and whatever happens, happens.”
