Hazen defeats Skyline in tight first postseason game
The Skyline boys basketball team lost 56-54 to the Hazen Highlanders in a tight game to the last second at home on Wednesday in their first playoff game. Although the Spartans almost had the game-winning shot in the last second, they were left chasing for most of the game.
“One positive is that we’ve got another game and we’re still in the playoffs,” said Skyline player Said Desouky.
Skyline started by gaining possession at tipoff and taking the lead through Leo Houpis’ layup. Hazen responded equally with Josiah Zwitt’s layup on the other end. The Highlanders opted to play slowly around the key, capitalizing off rebounds as the shot clock eventually ran out. After missing a pair of free throws, Spartan Gavin Simmons proceeded to score a layup and a free throw, increasing their lead to three points. Hazen took the lead as Aiden Yuan drove into the paint, scoring a layup, and was able to convert his free throw. Skyline saw two attacking fouls go against their favor, slowing down their attack and ability to control the game. The Highlanders proved to be lethal on the turnover, increasing their lead even further at the end of the quarter to 16-8.
Skyline’s Harper McGillis opened the second quarter from a foul called at the shot clock buzzer, which resulted in a layup. Their efforts were quickly canceled out, though, as Hazen’s Kingsley Billingsley increased the lead through a layup on the other end of the court. Frustration grew within the Spartan squad and coaching staff as they saw many good chances missed. The Highlanders played with pace and agility inside the paint, easily shaking off one or more Skyline players with one go. The quarter ended 29-23, Hazen.
Skyline opened the third quarter again through McGillis’ three-pointer from deep right court. He continued his form, scoring another three-pointer from a jump ball with one second left on the shot clock, tying the game 29-29. Both teams exchanged points from wide open defenses as the Highlanders’ Lincoln Nguyen and the Spartans’ Aiden Kurisingal made dueling layups. Skyline’s rebounding improved in the second half. They improved in regaining possession from missed attempts, improving their attack efficiency. The three-pointer of the Highlanders’ Alex Kunigk ended the quarter 41-34, Hazen.
Skyline retained their momentum into the fourth quarter, proving an even match to their opponent. The Spartans’ morale improved in the second half, as fans started being more vocal in supporting their school. McGillis continued on his hot streak, bringing his total for the day to 18 points after managing a medium range shot within the key. Skyline closed the gap down even further to two points through Aalay Shah’s three-pointer from right court. With three seconds left, Simmons’ dunk left the deficit at only two points, but then a foul was called against Skyline. Luckily, Hazen missed both free throws. The clock was set to two and a half seconds, and the Spartans went on a break and drove to right court, where McGillis got a shooting opportunity behind the three-point line. The ball bounced three times on the rim and out, ending the game 56-54, Hazen.
“I would say that it’s just a next play mentality, focusing on our next game knowing the stakes but also knowing we have more solid basketball left in us to play and go give our next opponent some trouble,” Spartan Siddharth Koneru said after the game.
Skyline finds out who their next opponent is on Saturday: whichever team loses between Lincoln and Lake Washington. The Spartans will advance in the playoffs if they win their next game, and will be eliminated if they fall short.
