Despite a 64-51 loss to Bothell Feb. 9, the Ballard High School boys basketball team is heading to the KingCo 4A playoffs for the second year in a row and the second year ever.
Feb. 9 losses by Newport, Redmond and Roosevelt conspired to make Ballard uncatchable for the eighth and final playoff spot with one game remaining.
"That is a huge accomplishment," coach Billy Rodgers said. "I really think our program has showed some great improvement over the last several seasons."
He said Ballard now has players that expect to make the playoffs and have postseason experience. The team is in a position to raise the bar and make a good run, he said.
The loss to Bothell broke a two-game winning streak for the Beavers and dropped them to 6-9 in the conference and 7-12 overall.
Ballard fell behind 20-7 in the first quarter but played Bothell close the rest of the way.
"Obviously we did not get off to a very good start," Rodgers said. "That falls on me. I need to do a better job of getting our kids ready to play."
He said playing on the road is about focus, and Ballard can't spot good teams 10 to 15 points early and hope to come back to win.
After the first quarter, Ballard played harder and defended better, cutting Bothell's lead to eight points at one point, but it wasn't enough to get out of the early hole, Rodgers said.
Senior Gary Smith led the Beavers with 15 points, and junior Salim Gloyd finished with 13.
Ballard wraps up the regular season with a home game against Roosevelt at 8 p.m. on Feb. 12. Roosevelt defeated the Beavers by seven points earlier this season.
Rodgers said being the eighth seed makes the playoffs, which start Feb. 16, a tough road. But, the players are excited to get the opportunity to keep playing, he said.
"Our goal is pretty simple," Rodgers said. "For us to have success, we must play with a focus on defense and good ball movement on offense. Great players need to play great in the playoffs."
He said senior Kyler Korsmo, who is averaging 11.5 points per game during the past month, is one of those players playing great, and the team will follow his lead into the playoffs.
