By Ed Shepherd
SPORTS CORRESPONDENT

MOUNT VERNON--Who cares?

That's a theme that's gone on all season for the Kennedy Catholic boys basketball team when it comes to scoring points. It's been not about one, but, about all.

And that kind of shared success embodied the Lancers' rousing, fan-supported, come-from-behind, 68-47, win over the Stanwood Spartans in a Hardwood Classic Regional Round, loser-out, winner to state game, at Mount Vernon High School Saturday.

"It was a team effort," said Lancers coach, Don Hoffman, whose team moves into the state tournament quite strong, having won 15 of its last 16 games, with the only loss to Foss, by four points, 64-60, who, incidentally, just lost by four points to Seattle Times coaches poll No. 2 ranked Bellevue by five points, 67-62, in its regional game played over the weekend. The Lancers ended this season without rank in the Times poll, to note.

The big win over the Spartans sends the Lancers, with their seamless 14-0 Seamount mark and stellar 22-3 overall record to the Tacoma Dome on March 5 for state's round of eight after having beaten the Spartans, the Wesco North league's regular season champion, who came into the regional with a 10-0 mark in its league, 19-4, overall.

The Lancers, in an eight-team field, will play Garfield, currently the state's No. 3 ranked 3A team, on Thursday, at 5:30 p.m., in a quarterfinal at the T-Dome. A win in it sends the Lancers to a Friday semifinal match-up. Win that one and its play for the state championship Saturday night, live, on local TV, for the Burien private school.

In the game versus the Spartans, things went from OK to rough fairly quickly.

The nail-biting could be going on not too long into the game for the Lancers' coaching staff, not to mention, its Kennedy Catholic fans, and, boisterous, student body, having made the trip. The fans, and, students, on that note, came on a long, 60-mile trip, up, north, en force, to root for their team.

The Lancers' spirit very alive and very well from this showing of support, as, the 'Kennedy Crazies,' (student section) went wild all throughout this game, drowning out the equally filled Spartans' student body section much of the time.

But the Lancers started the game, score-wise, about even with the Spartans, getting a 7-6 lead over the foe, on junior guard, 6-4 James Jolly, with a rebound and score that came as 5:30 showed left on the first quarter score clock. The two teams played point for point, pretty much, the rest of the way in the opening frame, as, the Spartans led the Lancers, 17-16, after first stanza ended.

"First quarter, pretty even, we were feeling each other out, and AJ, then, got a couple quick fouls, too, that hurt us," said Hoffman, whose team lost in this same regional round last year, on the road to east-of-the-mountains, team, University of Spokane. And that game in Spokane last season ended the Lancers' season, one shy of state.

But, back to the game, the Lancers, down one, after the first quarter, that was when the Spartans looked like they were getting the better feel of things after that. They would then go up, 21-16, on the Lancers, with seven minutes left in the second quarter.

Then the Lancers' student body, fans, cheerers, also, players, and, coach, coaches, could all be feeling worse, as, the foe stretched that five-point lead to seven, 25-18, with 4:45 showing on the game's clock in the second quarter.

But, in asking Lancers' senior captain, Michael Sasonoff, after the game, if he was worried when his team was down, seven points, midway through the second quarter, he said this.

"Oh wow, really," said Sassonoff.

It was almost like Sasonofff never remembered things that bad in the game early on, it surprised Sasonoff, it seemed. And that surprise by him was not something in a bad way, but a good way, saying that Sassonoff wasn't in angst over the foe's early-on seeming dominance. It was no big deal.

And that expression of response, by Sasonoff, simply explains that the Lancers weren't reeling emotionally when not only were they trailing by seven points in the second quarter, but, this too, could have been bothering Sasonoff, and his team.

What was that?

What Hoffman said earlier about McGrew in foul trouble, having to sit early, and, then, late in the second quarter, things became worse, when McGrew would hurt his finger on a layup. He's a very good player on the team this past season.

And, McGrew's numbers prove the Lancers' having to sit him with two fouls early, half a quarter, hurt. And, then, later on, sitting from finger injury a quarter and a half hurt. He is a 6-3, senior, guard, on the Lancers, and, the Lancers' other captain, besides, Sassonoff. And, speaking of numbers, they show that McGrew is the team's second leading season scorer and, top rebounder on the team this past season. But McGrew would exit early in this one, and that would require some overcoming by his teammates.

And, good news, was that the student section was behind the team, too, in McGrew's absence, and, really, all game long, enthusiastically, crazily, shouting, clapping, doing different cheers, like, at this time that the Lancers trailed by seven midway through the second quarter. Cheering loudly!

"Defense (clap-clap), defense (clap-clap)," they shouted, rhythmically. The Lancers' band, played, too, with tubas, blasting, and, flutes, trumpets, clarinets, etc. encouraging their team on as well.

So, trailing by seven points, there, in the second quarter, the Lancers feared not, coming back to make it 25-23 on a McGrew layup and foul that meant a free throw and three-point play, with 3:00 left in the second quarter. McGrew would leave a minute later with the above discussed finger injury, and, Kennedy leading, 28-25, and, would not return until nearly midway through the fourth quarter.

So into halftime the game went and the Lancers led, 30-26.

The third quarter, Stanwood shot out, cutting the Lancers lead to 34-31, on a three-pointer, from behind the arc, with 7:00 left. But, that's where the Lancers' Jolly staved off the Stanwood student body's yelling and their team's momentum, with a three-pointer, for his team, making it a 37-31 score, with 6:30 left in the third quarter.

"Very tough game, knew we had to come out in second half and hit some shots," said Jolly, who had a lot of the Lancers' student body around him after the game, like, Riley O'Neil, Evan Galando, Michael Werlich, letting it be known they were the "best fans in the state, best team in the state."

So, after Jolly scored there, the Spartans scored, too, as, it's team's best scorer, 6-5, post, Skout Roberson, who scored a lot of the foe's points in the game, when close, early on, scored again. Roberson's bucket narrowed the Lancers' lead to 37-33.

But, that's when Jolly answered right back, hitting a short jumper with 4:30 left in the third quarter, upping the Lancers' lead to 39-33.

"He played a great game," said Hoffman of Jolly. "He hit some big shots when we needed them. He was not afraid to take them. He really stepped up big, filled in when AJ (McGrew) was out two quarters of the game."

But, it wasn't just Jolly, even though it kind of sounds like it, as balanced scoring to keep the Lancers within a point, early, after the first quarter happened, too. And, really all throughout the game, different guys scored for the Lancers.

"Emilio (Mancol) stepped up, did great, bringing the ball up the court, and, Keannu (Royster) handled the ball well, too."

Hoffman spoke of those two guard guys above there, but really, what he was saying, was simple, like, he aforementioned way earlier in the story, and, like it's been this kind of winning way all season: it was a team effort.

Following Jolly's nice play, turning back the Spartans' coming momentum, down four there in the third quarter, until Jolly's nice shot, the Spartans scored, next. They cut the Lancers' lead to 39-35, with 3:55 to go in the third. Then, firing right back, the Lancers' 6-4, senior, forward, Jacob Thurber, a captain for the school's football team this past season, as well as the quarterback, scored inside, to up the Lancers' lead back to six, 41-35, off a nice pass inside from Royster.

Then Sasonoff scored, upping the Lancers' lead to 43-35, and, then, Mancol scored, so it was 45-35. And the Spartans scored to close out the third quarter, but, now, they were the team trailing by seven, down, 45-37, going into the fourth quarter.

So, that's a lot of different scorers, and even mentioning top scorers for this game is almost a moot point, not needed, as it's been points by committee all season for the Lancers, with senior Parker Diller averaging 14 points this past season, and McGrew 11, and Sasonoff and Mancol 10 and Royster, five.

Speaking of this particular game, Sasonoff re-emphasized what Hoffman's already said and puts in perfect light, this kind of motto for this team: Who cares, we share. "We just wanted to keep the momentum going in this game, sharing the rock, sharing the ball," said Sasonoff.

So, listening carefully to Sasonoff, he wasn't, really, talking about the momentum that comes with scoring points in a game, so much. It sounded more like Sassonoff was speaking about the momentum in the game coming from a derivative of having shared the basketball for scoring.

That shared success of the point-scoring in this game meant it was about over for the Spartans, too, they would not mount a comeback and overcome the Lancers, like, the Lancers did to them in the first part of the game when the Lancers trailed by seven back then.

Opening the fourth quarter, the Lances' Jolly scored two times, and, Sasonoff, once, included, in that burst, was a Jolly three-pointer, making it 52-37 Lancers with just over six minutes left in the game.

The Lancers' 200-300 student section of fans began shouting 'Rattled. Rattled. Rattled," from the stands. That made sense, the Spartans were dazed and confused and no longer in the game.

The Spartans, shortly, thereafter, took a timeout, to try to regroup and make a comeback with six minutes to go in the game. But, coming back onto the court, from the brief respite of the Lancers' ongoing shaking of the Spartans would be a no-go. Lancers' McGrew returned to the game a bit of time later, with about five minutes left about, and, he showed he could play just fine with a hurt hand.

McGrew, with a charge to the basket, dribbling the ball, leaped forward, into the paint, and, in mid-air, did a behind-the-back pass to outside, standing, teammate, Royster. To the 'awes' of Lancers' fans, Royster knocked down a long shot. from the corner, that gave the Lancers a 56-37 lead.

This one was just into the semantics after that, played out, in track meet style, with no doubt of who would win, as, the Lancers' student body started shouting a chant, in the game's closing minutes. They chanted words that sounded like, "To the door. To the door." That would be ushering out the Spartans' student body and fans from the Mount Vernon gym, with not good sportsmanship.

And, guess what?

Those three words weren't what the Lancers' student body was saying, not even close.

The Lancers student body was methodically, in chorus, saying, over and over again, these three words, that have to do with the state tournament coming right up at the Tacoma Dome: "To the Dome. To the Dome..."

McGrew said some things, of his dislocated finger against the Spartans, and, of other things.

"If I could take back one thing in the game, it would be the two fouls I committed early," said McGrew, a great wide receiver this past season on the Lancers' state-qualifying football team, too. "I had to step up and be a leader from the bench."

And, McGrew, said, too, come state, on Thursday, in the T-Dome, for those wondering about his finger, "I'll be fine."

And, what about those raucous, supporting Kennedy fans, student body out there? What did he say about them?

"Our fans, that's our sixth man," said McGrew, grinning. "Our other family."

Hear them shouting things, like, "Defense. Defense" as play goes on?

"We hear them saying everything," said McGrew. "Whatever to get a win, they get it done."

The Kennedy Crazies?

"Yep, that's our Kennedy Crazies," said McGrew.

And, things were in a crazy state at this time last season for the Lancers boys basketball team, to note, as. that University team is mentioned again. The Lancers had to travel to Spokane last year at this time to play University at Central Valley High School. That was just like this game against the Spartans, winner to state, loser out.

Once there, in Spokane, playing University, the Lancers lost.

"It was close," their coach, Hoffman, said, recalling what he could of the game. "I think we lost by three points."

What a long ride home that one would seem to be.

"Growing pains that brought the team closer together," said Sasonoff. "We had a lot of time to talk on the way home. We couldn't wait for the next season to start."

Just a great way, it sounds like, to handle that horrible result, adversity, by these Lancers' basketball players that returned a lot of the same team this year as last season.

And, this season, it's all been positive energy from that loss to University.

"Definitely, we were determined to get farther than we did last year," said Sasonoff. "I think, that's what pushed us in the off-season and practice."

There is one thing, for sure, pushing the Lancers now--each other. Coaches and players alike, sharing this experience about to start at state, going for a championship, trying to improve on already being one of the eight best teams in the state of Washington.