Redemption in the face of furious frustration rang in a victory Friday.

Mired in a two of 10 shooting night against a suffocating and extending 2-3 zone defense, Marcus Tibbs stepped up with an iron resolve to drive the No. 5 state ranked Decatur boys basketball team past crosstown rival and No. 4 Federal Way 52-51.

With his team trailing 51-50 as 33 seconds remained in regulation play the Gator Dome, Tibbs quickly seized an opportunity after the designed play broke down.

"The play was designed to go to Stedman (Richardson), but they had him cut off, so I just took it to the lane," declared Tibbs, who finished with 12 points. "I saw the opening and went there."

After penetrating past defender Marques Hollins in a man-to-man defense, Tibbs banked in a soft spinner with 7.9 seconds left.

"I missed some (shots) in the first half, but I made it in the clutch," he stated. "I just wanted to be the guy."

Throughout the Gators' 15-2 overall and 9-2 South Puget Sound League North Division season, Tibbs has been the guy in clutch situations.

Decatur still had to sweat out the final 6.3 seconds following an immediate Federal Way time out. Unable to get the ball in, the Eagles used a time out to reset their play.

This time the ball was passed in and Federal Way's money player Terrell Smith cleared the defense near mid-court while already in motion.

"We got exactly what we wanted," explained Eagle head coach Jerome Collins. "We got Terrell the ball, moving towards the basket in the open floor."

Unfortunately for Federal Way, Smith dribbled the ball off his knee while attempting to pass to Allen Brooks. The ball then bounded off Brooks' leg, resulting in one final chance for the Eagles with 2.7 seconds left.

Viewing the defense, the Eagles called a final time out.

Inbounding from the side, the Eagles got the ball to Terrell Smith on a curl. Smith had time to make two dribbles before launching a running, off-balance 21- footer that slid off the front rim at the buzzer, much to the delight of the raucously celebrating fans who swarmed the court like buzzing bees. Smith finished with a game-high 25 points.

"We were tentative throughout most of the game," said Decatur head coach Kevin Olson. "Federal Way did such a good job defensively against us, but our kids wanted it more at the end. I told them in a rivalry game, it comes down to who wants it most and they stepped up at the end.'

As the battle raged, game action was initiated with scoring surge exchanges that continued to the conclusion.

Subdued by Federal Way's enclosing zone throughout the game, Decatur observed and retaliated forcefully against Eagle lightning scoring strikes that nearly had the visitors soaring far away. Federal Way built seven point advantages in the second quarter and early in the third quarter.

"We just didn't attack it," added Olson. "We kind of stood around and were a little timid."

Eight turnovers in the first eight minutes also blunted the Gator effort. Decatur was unable to establish a beach head with its inside game, but the Gators stayed close by forcing Eagle outside shots at opportune moments to avoid going down for the final count.

"...I knew that if we stayed focused, stayed positive and picked up our defense. we'd be OK," related 6-5 Darious Walker, who was a tower of strength with a team high 19 points while powering to 12 rebounds-eight on the offensive boards. " We talked about never being out of the game."

Federal Way was soaring to a 33-26 lead after a wafer-thin 27-26 halftime lead before Decatur responded on a 6-0 run, due in great part to forward Trey Williams notching eight of his game total of 10 points in the third quarter and Michel Hale's precision passing.

As four minutes remained in the fourth quarter, the Eagles held a 46-40 margin. The Gator defense entrenched itself for the dramatic stretch run in the fourth.

"We let their defense get us down in the first half," said nine-point Decatur scorer Hale. "But we started doing the little things and became more positive as the second half went along. Federal Way is one tough opponent."

Smith had forced Federal Way into a 51-48 lead with one minute remaining on a three-point play.

Walker's forceful, driving basket inside with 52 seconds remaining and his key defensive rebound on the next possession set up Tibbs' drive to to the winning basket.

With one game to go Decatur and Federal Way (13-2) are knotted in second in a second place of 9-2 in the SPSL North standing. Kentridge is 10-1 in first place.

"We didn't play our best out there all the time," Olson said. "But when the game was on the line, we stepped up and got it done. I was proud of our kids for coming back after that."