Often, the play of the game is an offensive play, like, a shot from the corner as the clock expires, or, a running lay-up through traffic at the buzzer, but not this time, as, Shorewood Christian's Nicko Morris, defensively, shined, in the last seconds, to preserve a win, 56-55, over the Taholah Chitwhins, and, send the Lions to 1B state from the Hardwood Classic Regional Round at the Tumwater High School gymnasium Saturday.
"Nicko got the block, phenomenal," said Lions head coach, Alfonso Gonzales. "What we needed."
The Lions came into the game looking much the worse team on paper, with a 9-11 record to the Chitwhins 15-4 mark. But, a super start, followed by a consistent middle, and, Morris' fantastic finishing play, made the difference. The win sends the Lions back to the state tournament at the Spokane Arena, where they took fifth place last year. State starts on March 5, with an 8-team field battling for 1B state supremacy on Saturday night, March 7.
The final seconds of this one between the Lions and the Chitwhins unfurled at a feverish pace, setting up a fevered pitch, but, the breakneck pace started with a minute left on the clock in the fourth quarter. And, the Chitwhin's Jimmy Smith-Kramer made 1-for-2 free throws, cutting the Lions' lead to one point, 54-53.
Then, the Lions' Stan Domingo, the team's point guard, was dribbling over the half-court line, using powerful, learned, ball control, skills, dribbling, dribbling, to keep moving against the Chitwhins' presure. He was keeping the ball in his team's hands,trying to, at all costs, to be fouled and go to the line, or, find a pass, which was hard to do with tight Chitwhins' pressure all over him.
And, with 20 seconds left, Domingo succumbed to the trapping, suffocating Chitwhins' defenders closing in all around him, stumbling, losing the ball. And, the Chitwhins got it and scored, giving them their first lead of the entire game, 55-54.
That's when Domingo made a nice play on the other end, giving his team the lead, splitting the defense, and, scoring, 56-55, Lions. Then, in the closing seconds, the Chitwhins', with 10 seconds on the clock, were looking to make their comeback be full circle with the final shot made. And, with the Chitwhins' Jimmy Smith-Kramer, dribbling, and, his teammate, star, Keanu Curleybear, eyeing for a pass from Smith-Kramer. Things did not unfold as the foe liked, with Smith-Kramer, making a pass toward Curleybear. But, Morris was there.
"I saw number 32 (Curleybear), we were bumping at the back, and, I was hoping number 5 (Smith-Kramer) would throw the pass to him," said Morris.
Figured, Smith-Kramer would go to number 32?
"Yep, the next guy," said Morris, speaking of those two, Curleybear and Smith-Kramer, who were the duo, main, threats all game for the Chitwhins. Smith-Kramer scored a game-high 21 points, and, Curleybear, their team's point guard, scored 18, and, dished out a dozen assists, too.
And, then what happened when Smith-Kramer made that pass toward Curleybear?
"And, I stuck up my hand and was able to block the play," said Morris, who scored no points in the game, but, performed the biggest play of the game.
Was Morris thinking such an ending could come his way?
"I read this book called, 'Jesus Calling,' before I left for the gym today," said Morris. "It gave me the confidence to self-evaluate myself, and, not look to others, and, to look at myself and what God has given me."
A Fast Start
The Lions' coach, Gonzales, got to see something in the beginning stages of this game versus the Chitwhins that he said lacked in a lot of games this season--a good start.
"Yeah, we did," said Gonzalez. "We got plenty of rest and the boys were ready to play."
The Lions not only started fast, they, also, played good defense in that early blitz of scoring offense to put the Chitwhins' back on their heels early. The Lions broke to a 10-0 lead in the game's opening four minutes versus the Chitwhins.
The Lions' 6-3 guard, Jovi Fevaleaki, just a sophomore, but a strong player, the team's season leading scorer, and, a guard who can handle the rock as well as shoot it, got his team going. He scored six of his team's ten points, in that burst in the first.
Then, the Chitwhins battled back, considerably, to trail, 12-7, after the first quarter's completion.
The second quarter saw the team's trading buckets much of it and the Lions led, 21-17, going into halftime.
Lions' Withstand Fight
The third quarter, the Lions' built that 4-point halftime lead to a loud, 34-23, advantage, midway through that frame on JJ Young's rebound score. Then, ater the Chitwhins' made three buckets in a row to march back into contention, down, 34-29, with two minutes left in the third quarter.
But, the Lions' Young, a 6-2, sophomore, guard, again, came up big, with a three-point shot blow to the Chitwhins, making it, 37-29, Lions', with one minute left in the third quarter.
"Our team fought it out," said Young, who led his team with 20 points. "Always fought."
The Lions kept answering any scores by the Chitwhins' the final minute of the third to be ahead, 43-35, going into the fourth quarter.
Chitwhins Not Buckling
The Lions led, 49-39, with 5:45 left on the clock in the fourth quarter, so, things looked well in hand for the private school, located in White Center, off Roxbury.
But, back came the Chitwhins, who battled from behind all game long, and, credit to them for never giving up hope, and, therefore, to, still, have a chance to win this one at the end.
The Chitwhins, then, made their basket opportunities count while the LIons' did not, making it anyone's game, 54-50, on the Chitwhins' team-leading, scorer, Jimmy Smith-Kramer, getting a layup as 2:00 were left in the fourth.
Then, a Lions turnover, and, the Chitwhins scored again, Smith-Kramer, two points inside, after he had stole the ball and layed it in, to cut the Lions' lead to 54-52 with 1:45 left in the game.
So, from a Lions' lead, 28-17, with two minutes gone in the third quarter to, ahead, 34-29, with four minutes remaining in the third to this point of the Chitwhins chipping the game down to just two points, late, in the fourth quarter. And, the whole side of the bleachers of Lions' fans, who cheered great all game for their team was, surely, very nervous.
And, they got more nervous, yet, after a Lion got fouled and missed the front end of 1-and-1 free throw chance. And, then, the Chitwhins, with the ball, took a shot and JJ Young grabbed the rebound but an offensive foul was called on Young, looking clean, skying for the board. But, referee's view was Young called for bumping the other player on the way up for the ball.
On the foul, that Chitwhin going to the line was Smith-Kramer, who sank 1-of-2 free throws, so, 54-53, the Lions' leading, but, by the slimmest of margins, now. And, there was more than enough time--one minute-- on the clock for the foe to overtake them, late, and, go to state.
The Lions were making a wrong statement when they turned the ball over on their next possession. And, the Chitwhins scored, making it, 55-54, the Lions trailed for the first time in the entire game.
And, that's when Domingo and Morris, a 5-10 junior forward, came to the rescue for the Lions with the nice shot and block to change everything.
Stately Conclusions
This was a whole team win, as, Feveleaki started the team off right, and, others, like Young hit important shots in stretches of the game, and, Spencer Howell, too, made four points in the critical fourth quarter. And, Lucas Sollesvik made two free throws in the first quarter that were nice, too, staking his team to that 10-0 start. And, the rest.
"Everyone stepped on the floor and did their parts," said Gonzales, summing things up.
"We preached defense all week," he said. "Lots of prayer by myself for team to start fast and finish, to rebound, to make lay ups. This is where it got us."
Beating a good team like Tahola?
"Definitely, one of the better teams we've played this year, and, with one of the better shooters and passers, Curlybear," said Gonzales of Curleybear, who is right close to leading the state in scoring at 22.1 points per game, with this game changing that average downward since he only scored 18 against the Lions.
So, the Lions are back to state, a young team, with no senior starters, and, a team who knows what state is already like, having gone last season, taking fifth place there.
"We are very excited," said Morris. "We have one mission. To win it."