Shots weren’t falling.
Passes weren’t crisp.
Rebounds weren’t being grabbed.
Nothing was going right for Skyline in the first half of Thursday’s loser-out 4A state tournament matchup with Davis of Yakima.
“The simple fact was, we lost focus,” Spartan head coach J. Jay Davis said.
A stern speech and one question changed Skyline’s fortune in the second half, however, as the Spartans went on to a 55-44 victory and a consolation semifinal matchup with Stanwood at 11 a.m., Friday.
“It took them getting their butts chewed a little bit, asking them, ‘Is this how you want it to end …is this how you guys want your high school basketball career to end?’
The Spartans answered with a resounding ‘No,’ turning a 20-14 halftime deficit around quickly.
Skyline outscored Davis 15-9 in the third quarter, tying the score at 29-29 by the end of the period.
A pair of back-to-back three-pointers from sophomore Will Parker and junior Kasen Williams in the middle of the fourth quarter sparked an 11-2 run. Williams, who led the Spartans with 19 points, put the game away for good with 50 seconds remaining. Up 50-44, Williams stole a rebound from the Pirates and scored a layup. Moments later he grabbed another steal and scored the bucket with a foul, completing the free-throw and a 5-0 run in six seconds for the 55-44 lead.
“Special players make special plays at special times – that’s just his makeup,” Davis said.
Skyline also received 16 points from senior Cory Hutsen, while Parker contributed eight. Senior guard Conner Gacek had six points and led his team in rebounds with seven.
After a tough, 45-43 loss to Jackson in the opening round, Davis made one thing very clear to his team.
“I told the kids, ‘I’m very, very selfish, I want to coach you guys three more times, so please allow me to do that.'”
Skyline took its first step to that accomplishment Thursday. A win over Stanwood on Friday would advance the team to the fifth-eighth place game on Saturday. It would also mark the first state placement for the Spartans, who have only been to state one other time in 2003.
Stanwood, also nicknamed the Spartans, defeated Auburn 73-67 to move into Friday’s loser-out game with Skyline.
