KingCo tourney: Skyline overtakes Bothell by firing from downtown
The Skyline Spartans bested the Bothell Cougars in a home playoff game Wednesday evening with a decisive 75-53 victory.
What appeared to be an even matchup at first, due to early back-and-forth field goals, soon turned when Skyline’s Dylan Reilly positioned himself in the corner for his first three-pointer of the night, giving the Spartans the surge they were looking for. Adding the offensive Skyline trio of Reilly, Kyler Przybylski and Scott Streamer proved unstoppable for the Bothell defense. The first quarter ended with a five-point Spartan edge.
The second quarter found Bothell’s Nikita Tyukalo further frustrated as Streamer’s impeccable defense managed to thwart his many layup attempts, making it frustratingly difficult for the Cougars to add to their score. On offense, the pairing of Przybylski to Reilly, with a series of quick passes, set up a string of three-pointers. Skyline stretched its lead to 36-21 by the half.
The second half started like the first with back-and-forth buckets. But it did not take the Spartans long to get on fire and further widen the gap. Relying again on Reilly sinking shots from downtown, as well as exceptional defense from Caden Gulver, which included a foiled fast pass and break away basket, Skyline widened their advantage to 26 points.
Despite the deficit, the Cougars were not giving up and came out fighting early in the final quarter. On a long, cross-court pass from Daniel Briseno to Jaiden Bernstine, Bothell found a groove, resulting in a 5-0 run. Fortunately for the Spartans, Przybylski stepped up with a pump fake field goal, breaking the Bothell streak. With time running out, a steal by Thomas Armbruster sealed the Cougars’ fate as he ended the game with a layup, delivering the Spartans the 75-53 win.
Skyline led offensively in steals (9-5) as well as defensively in blocks (2-1). The Spartans dominated with an astounding 10 three-pointers in contrast to Bothell’s two. Reilly led in shooting from outside the arc with a game total of four, while Gulver padded the score with three lobs of his own.
Skyline (11-4) lost to Woodinville on Friday night. They will play North Creek (9-10) at Bellevue High School on Saturday, Feb. 5 at 4:15 p.m.
