One play can change the course of a game or even a season for a team. That type of play occurred during a 61-57 win for the Federal Way High School boys basketball team Monday, as they defeated Bothell during the King Holiday Hoopfest at Bellevue College.
All 6-foot 9-inches of Cougar center Josh Martin charged down the lane toward the basket during the opening minutes of the third quarter. Players amassed under the hoop as Martin went hard to the basket. The play ended with Eagle Christian Jones on the floor clutching his ankle and Martin on the bench with a less severe ankle injury.
But the injury kept Martin on the bench for the rest of the game.
“It was a huge loss for us,” said Bothell head coach Ron Bollinger. “He averages 28 or 29 points a game and 18 rebounds.”
The loss of Jones was not easy for the Eagles either.
“It looks pretty bad,” said Federal Way head coach Jerome Collins. “He was taken to the hospital for X-rays.”
The two teams played hard form the opening tip, despite it being a non-league game.
Federal Way took a 12-4 lead on a steal and basket by Viot’E Daniels during the first quarter.
“We are young and we were like a deer in headlights during the first quarter,” said Bollinger.
But Bothell stayed composed and cut the lead to 12-10 by the end of the first quarter.
Bothell’s Shawn Munro tied the game with a basket from under the hoop to start the second quarter and Martin gave the Cougars their first lead with a thunderous dunk.
A three-pointer by D’Jimon Jones two minutes later gave the Eagles the lead back 24-21.
But Martin’s injury took away a distinct advantage for Bothell on the inside and the Eagles took control, building a 41-32 lead on a three-pointer by Malik Montoya.
“It changed a lot because it took away their main man and we were able to take advantage,” said Collins. “We did not shoot well in this game but we played good defense.”
Federal Way built its biggest lead to start the fourth quarter at 45-32.
But the Cougars kept pushing against a strong Federal Way defense, cutting the lead to just 59-54 on the hot hand of Andrew Wilson, who finished with 14 points.
Peyton Cordova-Smith led the Cougars in scoring with 17 points and closed the gap to 61-57 but there was not enough time for Bothell to pull the upset.
Federal Way was led by Daniels with 19 points, Montoya with 12 points and D’Jimon Jones with 10 points.
The King Holiday Hoopfest highlighted Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Beamer — The Titan boys didn’t fare as well as the Eagles on Monday. Seventh-ranked Beamer (11-2) dropped a non-league game to Jefferson High School of Portland at the Unity in the Community Hoop Showcase at Seattle’s Garfield High School, 67-60. It was the third game of a three-game event on Monday.
Jefferson (12-1) is one of the top teams in Oregon and rolled out to a 26-point lead at halftime. But the Titans used a 16-0 run during the third quarter to pull to within eight points early in the fourth quarter, 53-45.
Beamer eventually cut the Jefferson lead to just four points with less than a minute to play in the game. But that was as close as it would get.
Jefferson was led by 23 points from Gonzaga-signee Silas Melson. Beamer got 22 points from senior Trey Burch-Manning, 11 from Bogdon Bliznyuk and 10 from Charles Frazier.
