Parker averaged 14.6 points, 3.7 assists and 2.6 steals per game this season with a total of 306 points. Eastlake’s Brandon Lester and Skyline’s Lucas Shannon made second team.

On the girls first team is Kendra Morrison from Eastlake and Megan Wiedeman of Skyline. With a total of 327 points this season Morrison averages 13.6 points and 7.9 rebounds per game.

Wiedeman scored 333 points for her team this year, averaging 13.3 points and 13.7 rebounds per game.

Allie Wyszynski, also from Skyline, made the second team. Eight players also received honorable mention, including Hayley Smith, Rachel Shim, Max Browne and Bryan Cikatz, all from Skyline, and Marijke Vanderschaaf, Caleigh McCabe, Eric Holmdahl and Michael Hwang, all from Eastlake.

But the Spartans were able to contain the two hot shooters and get past the Eastlake defense down the stretch.

Skyline guard Will Parker gave his team its first lead of the night with an arching 3-pointer with 1:38 remaining in the fourth quarter. And that shot gave the Spartans the momentum to out last Eastlake 70-61 in overtime.

Eastlake went to 2-6 in KingCo play and 4-10 overall. At 7-1 KingCo and 12-3 overall, Skyline remains atop the Crest Division standings, in front of Redmond (6-2).

“It took the first half for us to do what the coaches wanted us to do in the first place,” said Lucas Shannon, a Skyline senior forward who scored 21 points. “We didn’t really change much.”

But the Spartans still got beat handily in the first half on defense. Its focus was to contain Eastlake’s Lester and Hwang, who are dangerous from beyond the 3-point arc and all-around weapons for the Wolves. The pair combined for 27 of Eastlake’s 31 first-half points, including five 3-pointers.

The Eastlake’s full-court-press defense dominated and kept Skyline shooters guessing in the first half. Despite tallying 18 points in the first half himself, Lester wasn’t happy with the way his team lost focus in the second half. It tried the same scheme, but the Spartans’ defense retooled and came out in a man defense.

“(Skyline) just picked it up on defense and we did nothing different,” Lester said. “Our shots just didn’t finish.”

Hwang opened up the game with a big three and Eastlake kept the lead all the way through, at one point leading 23-15 in the second quarter. It took a 4-point halftime lead and quickly made it 38-27 early in the third.

Skyline trailed 48-39 at the end of three, but relied on Eastlake foul trouble to score easy points. In the fourth, Shannon and Parker combined to make 10 of 12 free throw shots and bring the score to 58-56, Eastlake.

That’s when Parker hit the clutch shot to take the lead.

As Eastlake lost momentum and missed scoring opportunities, the Spartans found an offensive rhythm and tightened its defense.

Lester led all scorers with 26 points. Hwang finished with 16. Parker finished with 14 for Skyline and teammate guard Jonah Eastern tallied 13, including three 3-pointers.

“We just chalk it up to our focus,” Shannon said. “We just manned up and finished.”

Reporter Christopher Huber can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, or chuber@isspress.com.

Wiedeman, the Spartans’ standout senior post, almost won the game at literally the last second at a packed Issaquah High School gymnasium. She made the 22-footer, but the officials ruled it no good after it rolled off of her finger tips just a split second after time expired.

“I thought we won,” Skyline coach Greg Bruns said.

Megan Wiedeman, Skyline High School senior post, watches her last-ditch effort head toward the hoop as Issaquah senior guard Taryn Holmes defends. Photo by Christopher Huber

So did Skyline’s fans. The last-second theatrics sent both student sections into an uproar. But as quickly as Skyline’s fans thought their team had executed a textbook come-from-behind victory, the Eagles’ faithful ultimately reveled in the victory over its district rival. Issaquah improved to 3-3 in KingCo and 8-4 overall after it won 52-51. It remains in third place behind Skyline (4-2, 7-5) in the Crest Division standings.

“I was just trying to get the shot off,” said Wiedeman after the game. “I didn’t really know the time.”

Issaquah got off to a strong start, pressing hard on defense and frustrating the Skyline offense throughout the first half.

The Eagles controlled the tempo and went up 15-10 after the first, at one point leading 13-2. Quincey Gibson, Issaquah’s sophomore point guard, hit back-to-back 3-pointers to go up 24-12 in the second.

The Spartans scored 12 that quarter but still trailed 29-22 at halftime.

After Issaquah lost to Garfield Jan. 4, the girls resolved to refocus on their team’s defensive strength, said head coach Kathy Gibson.

The key was “making plays on defense, for us,” she said. “After the Garfield loss, we’ve got to get back to defense. And I thought we did a pretty darn good job.”

Skyline came out in the second half with a new energy on defense and ended up narrowing the deficit to one point by the end of the third. Skyline junior guard Rachel Shim put the Spartans up 37-35 after hitting a buzzer-beater and a free throw shot. That play proved a pivotal point.

“That and-one play was big,” Shim said. “It pumped up the team a lot. That’s what got us going.”

Shim finished with 12 points, while Wiedeman led all scorers with 16.

Quincey Gibson led Issaquah scorers with 12 points — all coming from beyond the 3-point arc. Teammate Aimee Brakken scored 11 points and Mandie Hill and Monica Landdeck each had nine.

Despite its slow third quarter, on both sides of the ball, the Eagles managed to step up their defense in the fourth, causing Skyline to scramble at the last second.

“I think we just played really well as a team,” Quincey Gibson said. “Contain on defense and don’t foul. We just wanted to get the win.”

Skyline boys

The Skyline boys improved to 4-1 in KingCo 4A conference play after beating the Issaquah Eagles 64-53 Jan. 6.

Issaquah, now 3-3 in the Crest Division and 9-3 overall, sits in third place behind the Spartans (9-3) and Redmond (4-2, 9-3).

Issaquah held onto an 11-10 lead going into the second quarter, but Skyline sped ahead and eventually led 26-21 at the break.

Despite senior guard Nick Price’s 21-point effort for the Eagles, the Spartans relied on double-digit performances from three players. Lucas Shannon, a senior forward, scored 16, Will Parker, a senior guard, scored 15 and sophomore guard Jonah Eastern finished with 11 points.

Reporter Christopher Huber can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, or chuber@isspress.com.

Teams from all three Sammamish high schools traveled to the nation’s sunny southwest to participate in holiday tournaments to see how they match up against teams from around the country. The Crusaders faired the best, going 3-1 at the tournament in West Hills, Calif. Dec. 26-29.

Boys basketball

The Crusaders returned home with an 8-3 record overall and look to do some damage in the second half of the season and gain some ground on Seattle Prep, which sits in first place in the Metro League Mountain Division.

Eastside Catholic 56,

Valencia (Calif.) 52

In the Dec. 28 semifinal match, Eastside Catholic defeated Valencia (Calif.) 56-52. Although it was relatively low-scoring, the Crusaders managed to do some damage on defense in the first half.

It held Valencia to three points in the second quarter and took a 34-22 lead into the halftime break. Valencia came back with 21 in the third, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Crusaders. Schreiber, who averaged almost 20 points per game through Dec. 30, dominated with 24 points. Austin Soukup had eight.

Eastside Catholic 55, Menlo 44

Schreiber, a 6-6 forward, scored 19 points to lead the Crusaders to a 55-44 win over Menlo Dec. 27.

In the first round Dec. 26, it beat Providence 59-57, despite the Burbank, Calif. school’s 22-point fourth quarter. Schreiber scored a personal season-high 29 points in the opener.

At the MaxPreps Holiday Classic in Palm Springs, Calif., the Skyline boys struggled from the onset. It lost its first two games. First it lost 70-58 to Harvard-Westlake Dec. 27. The next day, the Spartans fell 48-39 to Lincoln, of Brooklyn, N.Y. And trying to redeem itself from last year’s last-second home loss, Skyline routed Bishop Manogue, of Reno, Nev., 60-31. It held Manogue to 10 first-half points and led 30-10 at halftime Dec. 29. The Spartans return home with an 7-2 record overall.

Eastlake 73,

San Marino (Calif.) 60

The Eastlake Wolves convincingly beat San Marino (Calif.) 73-60 Dec. 27 in the second of its three-game stint at the 2011 Cactus Jam in Phoenix.

The teams went point-for-point through the third quarter, with Eastlake barely holding on to a 1-point lead. But a 22-point Wolves fourth-quarter put the game away.

Eastlake’s Eric Holmdahl scored a team-high 22 points, while Brandon Lester, one of KingCo’s leading scorers, finished with 16. Michael Hwang had 11 points, Kyle Laubscher scored nine and Caleb Perkins tallied seven.

Sacred Heart 73, Eastlake 57

The boys lost their opening game Dec. 27 at the Cactus Jam in Phoenix. Senior guard Brandon Lester wasn’t as much a factor on the scoreboard as the Wolves are used to in its 73-57 loss to Sacred Heart Cathedral, from San Francisco.

Lester, who is among the KingCo 4A leaders with 16.8 points per game, scored just nine.

Sacred Heart got out to a 22-10 lead heading into the second quarter and increased the lead to 49-20 at halftime.

Girls basketball

Post Falls 52, Skyline 44

The Skyline girls basketball team ended its trip to North Idaho College with a loss in the consolation championship match against Post Falls (Idaho) Dec. 29. Rachel Shim led Spartan scorers against Post Falls with 10 points. Megan Wiedeman scored seven of her tournament-total 27 points in that game.

Skyline came home 6-4 overall and 3-1 in KingCo Conference play.

Skyline 61 Redmond (Ore.) 22

The girls won big Dec. 28, though, crushing Redmond (Ore.) 61-22. Allie Wyszynski led Skyline with 20 points. It lost 60-38 to Coeur d’Alene in the opening round of the invite tournament Dec. 27.

Eastside Catholic 63, Sammamish 29

The girls of Eastside Catholic dominated with a 63-29 win over Sammamish Dec. 28. in non-league play. The Crusaders’ Michaela O’Rourke led all scorers with 25 points, while Sarah Hill and Shelby Newell had eight each.

Eastside Catholic

The Eastside Catholic boys basketball team surprised fans and opponents in one of the more monumental wins of the winter break Dec. 20. In a Metro League contest, the Crusaders beat longtime rival O’Dea 65-63 after Matt Callans hit a tiebreaking shot with 28 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter at Eastside Catholic. Players celebrated by cutting down the nets on their home court.

The victory put Eastside Catholic at 5-2 overall and 4-2 in Metro league play. The Irish went to 3-2 in Metro and 4-3 overall and fell behind the Crusaders and first-place Seattle Prep in the Metro Mountain Division.

O’Dea was quick and effective in the first quarter, going up 23-18 after one and leading 38-30 at halftime. But the Crusaders remained consistent throughout the game, scoring 15 in the third, to O’Dea’s 13. And in the fourth, it staged a little comeback, outscoring the Irish 20-12.

Austin Soukup, a 6-foot-2 guard, led all scorers with 24 points, including six 3-pointers. Mandrell Worthy tallied 13 and Joey Schreiber added 10 points to the mix for Eastside Catholic. Callans finished with eight points.

Skyline 49, Woodinville 32

The Skyline boys basketball team kept its streak alive after easily beating Woodinville 49-32 Dec. 20. The Spartans improved to 5-0 overall and 3-0 in KingCo League play and remain in first place in the Crest Division.

Senior guard Will Parker again led scorers with 20 points. The Skyline defense limited the Falcons to just 10 points in the second half, including just three in the final quarter.

Skyline led 28-22 at halftime but pulled away with 16 in the third quarter. It finished on a weak note, with five points in the fourth, indicating the team might still be working out some kinks in its set plays on offense.

Senior forward Lucas Shannon scored 11 points for Skyline and Jonah Eastern had six. Woodinville’s Tommy Wick finished with 11 points.

Garfield 85, Eastlake 65

Coming off an energizing win against Newport, the boys of Eastlake had a tough time with the Garfield Bulldogs Dec. 20.

Garfield won 85-65 and is now 4-0 in KingCo Crown Division and 6-2 overall. It stands in first place in the Crown Division.

The Wolves (1-4, 2-6) looked to give the Bulldogs a run for their money after pacing them evenly through two quarters. Garfield led 41-40 at halftime. But a dismal 6-point tally in the third quarter, coupled with Garfield’s 26 took Eastlake out of it before the final quarter began. The Wolves’ 19 fourth-quarter points weren’t nearly enough to come back. Senior guard Brandon Lester finished with 23 points for the Wolves. Eric Holmdahl had 12 points.

Girls basketball

The Eastlake girls basketball squad took third place at the Nike Tournament of Champions in Phoenix after going 3-1 through the four-day tournament.

The Wolves capped its standout performance with a 46-36 win over Thunder Ridge High School, of Highlands Ranch, Colo. Heading into the second half of the season, Eastlake leads the KingCo Crest Division at 4-0 league and 7-3 overall.

Marijke Vanderschaaf scored 11 in that game. The sophomore post scored 25 in four games, but most notably, earned recognition from ESPNHS as one of the tournament’s five emerging talents.

Against Thunder Ridge, Eastlake led 21-10 at halftime. And despite a Thunder Ridge 15-point third quarter, the Wolves were was able to hold out. Senior forward Kendra Morrison scored 11 points in the third-place game.

The day before, the Wolves lost their only game of the tournament, 68-61 to Chandler (Ariz.), despite three players scoring in double digits. Senior guard Caleigh McCabe scored 18 points, Lauren Files had 13 and Morrison finished with 11.

Eastlake 73, Huntington Beach 64

Eastlake trailed by as much as 10 points in the first quarter, according to the team’s tweets from the second-round game Dec. 20. The girls tied the score at 19 each a minute into the second quarter and spent the rest of the game gradually pulling ahead. Eastlake led 32-25 at halftime. And despite falling behind 51-48 with a minute left in the third quarter, the Wolves surged ahead in the fourth quarter. Eastlake led by as much as 11 points late in the fourth. Senior forward Kendra Morrison finished with 17 points, Abby Carlson, a senior guard, had 11 and Bella Zennan, a senior guard, scored 10.

Eastlake opened the Tournament of Champions with a 63-44 win over Piedmont, Calif. Dec. 19.

Skyline 58, Bishop Blanchet 31

Senior Megan Wiedeman executed a double-double — 14 points and 13 rebounds — and senior Haley Smith scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds in a 58-31 win over Bishop Blanchet Dec. 22.

The Spartans used its size and a heavy dose of pressure defense and consistent scoring from Wiedeman and Smith to take it to Blanchet early. It led 16-7 after one and 31-17 at the half.

“Megan and Haley both played really well,” said head coach Greg Bruns. “They were pretty much unstoppable.”

Skyline limited Blanchet to six points in the third and eight in the fourth. Rachel Shim and Allie Wyszynski each scored eight points and Shelby Kassuba scored six.

“Allie was getting lots of opportunities inside,” Bruns said.

Skyline improved to 5-2 overall before heading to a tournament at North Idaho College Dec. 27.

Reporter Christopher Huber can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, or chuber@isspress.com.

He was happy about helping his team win, but focused on what Skyline will have to work on over the winter break if it wants to succeed against KingCo competition this season.

Hunter Cikatz (23), Skyline sophomore guard, goes up for a shot as Calvin Throckmorton, Newport freshman center, defends during the third quarter Dec. 16. Photo by Christopher Huber

Parker scored 18 second-half points — 10 from the free-throw line — to lead Skyline to a 59-51 victory over the visiting Newport Knights. The Spartans improved to 2-0 in KingCo conference play and 4-0 overall. Newport fell to 2-2 in KingCo and 2-4 overall.

“I could’ve played better than I did,” Parker said. “We didn’t come out strong. We got lazy with the ball.”

Newport led 17-10 after a slow first quarter for Skyline. But the Spartans narrowed the margin in the second to make it 28-26 Newport at halftime. Sophomore guard Hunter Cikatz hit two 3-pointers for Skyline and his older brother, Bryan Cikatz, scored his seven points all in the first half. Hunter finished with nine.

Newport relied on 13 points from sophomore guard Will Ferris, who drained three 3-pointers, and junior forward Isaac Dotson, who scored eight in the first half and went 4-for-4 from the free-throw line.

Both teams got out to a slow third-quarter start and didn’t really recover.

While Skyline had a tough time composing itself on offense, so did Newport. Skyline’s defense held relatively strong down low and forced the Knights to take hasty and off-balance shots. Newport scored just six points in the third quarter, to Skyline’s 15.

The Knights made 10 of 12 free-throw attempts in all. But Skyline hit 12 of 23 in just the second half, with Parker sinking 10 of his 15 second-half attempts from the free-throw line.

Skyline head coach J. Jay Davis wasn’t excited about his team’s play, whether Parker had a career-high night or not.

“We had very little to do with (Newport’s poor performance),” Davis said after the game. “They had every shot they wanted.”

He highlighted the Spartans’ lack of focus on offense, which led to sloppy ball movement and missed scoring opportunities. He alluded to Skyline relying too much on Newport’s mistakes, as well as an inflated ego from a lop-sided victory Dec. 15 against a visiting team from Australia.

“They had no capacity to focus on the things at hand,” Davis said. “They’ve got a rude awakening if they think this is how they can play. (The amount of) free-throws was a snapshot of where their focus was.”

Skyline heads to Palm Springs where it will face Harvard-Westlake (Los Angeles) Dec. 27, Lincoln (Brooklyn, N.Y.) Dec. 28, and Bishop Manogue (Reno, Nev.) Dec. 29.

The Skyline boys went 14-10 overall in 2010-2011 and took third place in the KingCo 4A conference tournament after losing to Newport. It brings back four starters whose leadership and points production will be key to its success this season.

Senior forward Lucas Shannon, who signed a letter of intent to play for Saint Martin’s, and senior point guard Will Parker (committed to Seattle Pacific UNiversity) will look to provide experience and consistent scoring opportunities as Skyline faces the likes of Garfield, Newport and Issaquah.

At 6-foot-6, 210 pounds, senior forward Bryan Cikatz will add needed size in the paint. Jonah Eastern, a sophomore guard, returns with Cikatz, Parker and Shannon. And combined with three more returners, Max Browne (junior forward), Isaiah Richmond (junior forward) and Addison McIrvin (sophomore guard), Skyline should be a force in the KingCo Crest Division.

In its opening game of the season, Skyline defeated Auburn Mountainview 63-44. It led 23-3 after one and took a 37-18 lead into halftime.

Shannon came up big, with 23 points and Parker had 14. Cikatz scored nine. All three averaged around 9.5 points per game last season.

“We expect to play hard for 32 minutes a game, for 21 nights on our schedule and see where we are on February 4,” said Davis, in his fifth year as head coach. “That’s all our coaching staff is concerned with, and any outside expectations will remain outside of this team.”

Girls hope for

shot at KingCo title

The Skyline girls basketball team opened the season 1-1. It lost its opener to Bellevue, 37-34 Nov. 30 and turned around and beat Kentlake 71-27 Dec. 3.

In the latter game, three Spartans scored in double digits. Junior point guard Rachel Shim tallied 18 points in the win, and Shelby Kassuba had 12. Returning senior post Allie Wyszynski scored 10.

The Skyline girls went 16-9 overall last season and took third in KingCo competition behind Issaquah and Eastlake. It made it to state after placing second at the district tournament, but lost out to South Kitsap 64-54 in the first round.

While it lost key starters Michelle Bretl and Christy Cofano to graduation, the Spartans bring back most of its starting core from 2010-2011. Wyszynski, senior post Megan Weideman and senior guard Morgan Farrar look to give the team balance against tough competitors like Eastlake, Issaquah and Newport. Junior Haley Smith (6-foot-1 wing) brings size and experience, while back Shim, a major force at the top of the key, is freshly recovered from knee surgery.

Senior Susie Tinker and junior Lacey Nicholson, both shooting guards, will vie for time and impact, too.

This year’s Skyline girls may have an advantage, in that the returning group of juniors and seniors has spent most of their basketball career together, learning the current system, said head coach Greg Bruns. He noted the standout senior leadership that will help the squad be more consistent throughout the year. And the girls will look to continue forcing lots of turnovers, as it led the league last year.

“We thrive by playing aggressive defense which helps to cause turnovers and create a lot of offense for us,” Bruns said. “We expect to continue to build on the success of last season and challenge for the division title and make it back to the KingCo title game again.”

Reporter Christopher Huber can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, or chuber@isspress.com.

Throughout the 2010-11 season the Spartans staged numerous comebacks en route to the 4A state tournament. Skyline again showed its fighting spirit Feb. 25 but the Spartans couldn’t overcome South Kitsap, losing to the Wolves 64-54 in the first round of the Region III tournament at Rogers of Puyallup.

Skyline, in the state tournament for only the second time in the history of the girls program, fell behind 10-0 in the first quarter. The Spartans fought back to take a lead, fell behind again, and made a valiant charge in the fourth quarter that fell short in the loser-out game.

Megan Wiedeman, Skyline junior post, and Dana Goularte of South Kitsap scramble to rebound a loose ball early in the fourth quarter of their first round state 4A basketball showdown Feb. 25. Photo by Greg Farrar

“It was typical of the team. They always battled. They have a lot of heart,” Skyline coach Greg Bruns said. “Those kids never gave up.”

South Kitsap, connecting on long range 3-pointers, came out hitting. The Wolves ran off 10 straight points and held an 18-11 lead going into the second quarter.

“Our team came out a little nervous. It took us a while to click,” Bruns said. “Getting down 10-0 was a big hole to get out of.”

But the Spartans got out of the hole. After falling by nine points early in the second quarter, Skyline went on a 12-0 run to take its only lead of the game at 23-22. Two free throws by Megan Wiedeman put the Spartans ahead with 2:47 left in the first half. However, South Kitsap’s Jackie Steiger answered with a 3-pointer and the Wolves ran away to lead 32-23 at the intermission.

South Kitsap maintained a substantial lead through most of the second half. However, Skyline refused to quit. Late in the fourth quarter, Michelle Bretl hit a short jumper and Skyline trailed only 55-52. But the Spartans could get no closer as South Kitsap wrapped up the victory at the free throw line, hitting six of seven attempts down the stretch.

One of the differences in the game was 3-point shooting. South Kitsap hit 7 of 18 attempts while the Spartans were 0-7.

“That was a little different for us. We usually hit some 3’s, but against South Kitsap we just couldn’t get untracked,” Bruns said.

Skyline’s defense wasn’t quite at strong as usual, either.

“We’ve been pretty good defensively all year,” Bruns said. “But South Kitsap just kept on hitting.”

Skyline led in rebounding 37-32 but shot just 35 percent. South Kitsap hit 46 percent.

Skyline did have some individual highlights.

Bretl, a senior, capped her basketball career with a team-high 16 points.

“She has been one of our defensive stoppers all season. For her to score 16 points was really outstanding,” Bruns said. “She had an amazing season.”

Bretl, a three-year varsity player, is one of Skyline’s top all-around athletes. She was the MVP of the girls soccer team and also competes in track and field.

“As a basketball player, she really came into her own last year. She gave us leadership this year. She always played with a lot of maturity. We will miss her next year,” Bruns said.

Allie Wyszynski, a junior wing, came off the bench and scored 14 points.

“She came in and really did a nice job and helped us battle back,” Bruns said.

Wiedeman, another junior, added eight points and 10 rebounds. She finished the season averaging a double-double – 10.3 points and 11.5 rebounds.

Morgan Farrar, another junior, had eight points.

Skyline finished the season with a 16-9 record. The Spartans were just 8-6 in 4A KingCo Conference play but qualified for the state tournament by winning their first two games at the 4A KingCo tournament.

With returning starters in Farrar, Haley Smith and Wiedeman plus Wyszynski, who started at times, along with reserves Lacey Nicholson, Anne Luempert and Susie Tinker, the Spartans could make a another run at the state tournament next year. Skyline also hopes to have sophomore Rachel Shim, who was sidelined this season because of a knee injury, back in the lineup next year. Shim started as a freshman.

“We have most of the corps coming back next year so we have a lot of potential,” Bruns said. “Hopefully we’ll keep the momentum from this season going into next year. I think the players saw how special getting to state is.”

Reach reporter Bob Taylor at 392-6434, ext. 236, or bobtaylor@isspress.com.

But Woodinville’s Deidre Miller sunk more, and they all counted down the stretch.

After three quarters, the KingCo 4A girls basketball title seemed to be the Spartans’. But Miller’s barrage from beyond the arc aided the Falcons to a 55-47 comeback victory over Skyline for the league championship Feb. 18 at Juanita High School.

Woodinville’s Alexis McLeod blocks the shot of Lindsey Nicholson, Skyline senior guard, in the fourth quarter during the KingCo 4A championship game Feb. 18. Photo by Christopher Huber

Miller, a junior coming off two years on the bench with two consecutive ACL injuries, finished with a game-high 21 points, including five 3-pointers.

“We knew she was there,” Skyline coach Greg Bruns said. “Boy, she knocked down shots.”

While both teams are state-bound, Skyline went to 16-8 and Woodinville improved to 19-5 on the season. It was the Falcons’ 11th straight win, said head coach Scott Bullock.

Skyline will open the first round of the state tournament Feb. 25 at Rogers High School.

“I think we came out really prepared,” said Nicholson after the game. “I haven’t shot threes like that in a while.”

Skyline was firing on all cylinders in the first half. It led 13-8 to end the first and the defense caused all sorts of adversity for the Woodinville offense.

“The Skyline defense was amazing,” Miller said after the game.

Nicholson said ultimately the string of big shots helped motivate the team to finish out the first half strong.

The Falcons missed handfuls of easy shots and looked like a different team than the one that beat Eastlake to get to the title match.

Bruns added that the Spartans threw in some new strategies the Falcons would not have been ready for.

“We put a couple of different looks the kids hadn’t seen before,” he said.

Skyline led by two at halftime, 22-20.

Nicholson scored 11 of her 13 points in the first half and Skyline seemed to be hitting its stride while stifling Woodinville’s typically lively offense.

From the opening of the third quarter until time expired, the Falcons fed the ball to Miller. Skyline’s defense pressed and forced the ball outside, but Miller consistently found a spot on the right side from 3-point range and drained three after three.

“Good shooters just don’t stop shooting,” said Bullock.

She scored 16 of her 21 points in the second half, leading Woodinville to outscore Skyline 35-25. The Lady Spartans tallied five points in the fourth and then went 0-for-7 from the field in the final five minutes. The Falcons scored 17 in the fourth.

“We just didn’t execute in the fourth,” said Bruns. “It’s about playing and executing when you have to.”

Nicholson wasn’t sure quite what did it to Skyline. But junior Ali Forde might have had something to do with it. She finished the night with 17 rebounds, six steals and 10 points.

“I think we just got tired in the fourth,” Nicholson said. “Our offenses weren’t working. They shut us down.”

Woodinville standout Melissa Gilkey, despite fouling out in the fourth, scored 14 points. Skyline’s Haley Smith, a sophomore wing, scored 12 points and senior post Michelle Bretl had eight points. Junior post Megan Weideman finished with seven for Skyline.

While Bruns noted the team’s disappointment with losing the title, Skyline is still headed to state after an up-and-down season.

“Everybody believed we could win this season,” he said. “We just need to learn from it.”

Nicholson shared the sentiment heading into the state tournament Feb. 25.

“We’re not done here,” Nicholson said. “It’s not over for us.”

Reporter Christopher Huber can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, or chuber@isspress.com.

Skyline junior post Megan Weideman is fouled by Issaquah’s Sabrina Norton in the first quarter Feb. 12. Photo by Christopher Huber

Thanks to her clutch shots and final-second help from teammate Megan Weideman, Skyline (16-7) earned its first trip to the state tournament since 2007. It outlasted Issaquah 58-55 in overtime Feb. 12 at Juanita High School.

Skyline will face Woodinville, which beat Eastlake in the semifinals, Feb. 18 at Juanita. The Eagles (16-6) must win three straight to make it to state.

“It’s really emotional,” said Skyline senior Michelle Bretl, who scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to set the stage for overtime. “It could’ve gone either way. We really showed them what we could handle.”

Issaquah jumped out early in the first, but Skyline immediately came back with 10 unanswered points and a string of steals. It led 12-9 going into the second quarter. The Eagles relied on junior forward Sabrina Norton’s 10 points and tough defense down low to inch back to trail just 26-25 at halftime. Skyline pressed all game long on defense and caused Issaquah to fumble plenty of unsure passes.

“We thought we had it,” Norton said after the game. “Skyline wanted it more.”

Issaquah battled back after the break and led 39-35 to end the third quarter. Senior forward Maddey Pflaumer made eight of her 12 points to keep the Eagles afloat. But down the stretch, Issaquah made a few too many mistakes and Skyline made it a game, matching Issaquah shot for shot in the fourth.

“I wanted to go out there and give it my all,” Bretl said about her 10-point contribution in the fourth.

Once Farrar put Skyline up 56-55 in overtime, an Issaquah foul on Weideman running lay in gave the Spartans the three point lead with 2.6 seconds left.

“They went through our weaknesses,” said Norton. “They dominated on defense.”

Senior guard Lindsey Nicholson led scorers with 15 points for Skyline. Bretl finished with 14 and Farrar tallied nine points.

For Issaquah, Norton finished with 12 points and senior guard Brooke Miller had 11.

Skyline boys basketball

The boys of Skyline looked to pose a threat to Garfield after beating Inglemoor 48-42 in the first round of the KingCo 4A tournament Feb. 8. But the Bulldogs were too much for the Spartans Feb. 11 at Juanita High School. Garfield beat Skyline 62-34 to dash any hopes of repeating as KingCo Champs.

Against Inglemoor, Skyline relied on a 14-point fourth quarter to break the third-quarter tie and win it.

Skyline’s Will Parker had 14 points and Lucas Shannon and Kasen Williams each had 12.

In the second round, Garfield allowed Skyline just one quarter with more than 10 points — the Spartans scored 11 in the first. From then on, they scored just 23 points total, while Garfield would score 20 in the second and 19 in the fourth to run away with the victory.

Phenom senior Tony Wroten scored 16 for the Bulldogs. Skyline’s Williams led his team with 10 points, while Teran Togia finished with eight.

Reporter Christopher Huber can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, or chuber@isspress.com.