By Anastasia Stepankowsky

For much of the first half, the West Seattle Wildcats (6-8) had the No. 5 ranked Seattle Prep Panthers (12-2) on lockdown. West Seattle raced out to an early 11-point lead, but ultimately the Wildcats succumbed to Seattle Prep, 66-59, in boys Metro Conference basketball Tuesday night.

After a quick two-pointer by Seattle Prep, a shooting spree boosted West Seattle to a 13-2 lead halfway through the first quarter. With six minutes left in the first half, the Wildcats still had a comfortable lead, 25-15. But that marked the end of West Seattle’s domination.

With 1:40 left in the half, a tip-in by Seattle Prep senior Jordan Kitchen brought the Wildcats’ lead to only 27-25, and the Panthers entered halftime ahead, 32-31.

The Panthers finally hit their rhythm in the second half and built an 11-point lead. West Seattle whittled it down to 3 points in the last 90 seconds, but ultimately the Wildcats could not overcome Prep’s height and other advantages.

West Seattle’s team is one of the smallest teams in the Metro Conference. Sophomore Demetrius Isabell, who stands at just 6-foot-3, is the tallest player. By comparison, Seattle Prep’s 6-foot-8 freshman J’Raan Brooks is a skyscraper. Along with Brooks, seven other Seattle Prep players are taller than Isabell.

“It’s no secret. Everyone in the league knows we’re the smallest team in this league,” Wildcat head coach Keffrey Fazio said. “That’s something we kind of embrace. We’re small. We’re West Seattle High School. Nobody expects us to do anything. It’s a disadvantage, but there are things we can do to use it as a strength. We don’t have to sit and pout about it.”

The Wildcats were quicker than the Panthers, and were led by sophomore Nate Pryor and junior Melvin Arrington. Pryor netted 33 points, more than half of the team’s total.

“We started off fast in the first quarter and the second quarter,” Arrington said. “We slowed down. I think if we could have kept our pace we could have hung onto them.”

West Seattle has played tough against ranked opponents, staying within single digits well into games with Eastside Catholic, Garfield, and Rainier Beach. But the mojo has typically vanished after halftime.

“When you play them you have to play perfect if you want to win. ... The message tonight was find a way to get over the top. We got closer tonight, but we fell a little bit short,” Fazio said.

West Seattle is at home against Franklin at 8:00 p.m. Friday.