The Federal Way Eagles boys basketball program hasn’t lost two games to the same opponent since 2019, when it fell to Auburn in the regular season and again in the league tie-breaker.
After falling to Auburn Mountainview, 74-64, on Dec. 17, the Eagles got their revenge thanks to a Saxon Niles basket with 3.8 seconds remaining in the ball game, giving Federal Way the 57-56 win over the Lions on the road Jan. 28.
“They just made plays. I’m proud of them for that because that’s something we weren’t seeing the first time we played them (Auburn Mountainview). I think some of the close losses we have is because we didn’t make plays like they did tonight,” Eagles Head Coach Yattah Reed said.
In the final 4:30 of the game, the Eagles trailed 55-43, but buckled down on the defensive side of the floor, only allowing one point for the rest of the game. On offense during that stretch, Niles was a force and scored 12 fourth quarter points, including the game winner.
“He made plays. He didn’t back down,” Reed said.
In the first meeting against the Lions, Niles was a bit under the weather, which impacted his performance.
“They beat us. I was hecka sick. I was like, they got lucky,” Niles said after the game. A game against Tahoma last season sparked a sour memory in Niles’ mind as he didn’t want that same result to happen.
“I never want to lose a close game like that again, one that we could win,” he said.
It came on an inbound play and Brayden McVey drove to the basket, attracting a triple team from the Lions. McVey then dished the ball off to Niles, who was eagerly waiting for it as his shot lifted the team to victory.
Coming into the contest, Auburn Mountainview was 16-0 and had a leg up on Federal Way for a league title. But on the road, in a hostile gymnasium, when it mattered most, Reed’s Eagles found a way to get it done.
“They could have easily folded and gave up. But I told them, ‘We gotta compete,’ and they did it. I hope this boosts their confidence as they move on,” Reed said.
Early on, it looked like this game was going to be a dog fight. In their own gym, the Lions shot just 30% from the floor and 25% from the free throw line in the first quarter. That performance let Federal Way take a 15-13 lead over the Lions.
Niles started out three for three on shot attempts in that first quarter with six points, and he finished with 23. Niles had a rough go of things in the middle two quarters, combining for just four points.
“I saw a lot of improvement from early in the season to now. With Saxon, the ball wasn’t going his way, he could have folded up, but he didn’t lose confidence. We have confidence in him at halftime, we told him,” Reed said.
Reed knew it was going to be a difficult place to play against a team that was hot. But for Federal Way to only be down two points at halftime, he felt like his side was right in the game.
Now a nine-point third quarter wasn’t in the cards for Reed and the Eagles. But in that fourth quarter, the Eagles’ defense picked up where the offense slacked in the third quarter — and put Federal Way in a position to win with 17.1 seconds to go in the game.
“I didn’t want to jump up and celebrate too early. But I just wanted to calm down and play good defense. It was very exciting,” Niles said.
When the pressure came down on the Eagles, there was one person who constantly had the ball in his hands, Brayden McVey. McVey has been the leader on the floor the last two seasons for Federal Way. Against the Lions he only scored six points. But he made the game winning decision and found Niles waiting for him under the basket.
“Brayden is our Swiss army knife. He has to do everything. … I hope this continues to build his confidence and understanding you can do more than just scoring,” Reed said.
Federal Way now sits with three games remaining with a 14-3 record after the win over Auburn Mountainview. If the Eagles win out, they secure a split league title with the Lions this season, their second league title in the last three seasons.