Two tough losses followed by vital hoops win

Riley Swenson, a senior wing for the Spartans, has put in some quality time on the court, especially defensively, over the last few games as the local hoopsters mount a drive for a district berth. Reeling from two devastatingly close losses to league foes earlier in the week, the Spartan boys’ basketball five came through Friday night, pulling out a come-from-behind 57-53 win over visiting Monroe.

A tough 45-43 loss to Lake Stevens and a 61-49 overtime defeat by Kamiak two nights later could have dampened the local squad’s enthusiasm drastically, especially when one considers playoff implications, but they proved resilient against the Bearcats Friday.

Faced with an eightpoint deficit entering the final frame, the Sparts began gnawing at the Cats’ heels with a series of field goals while the visitors had to settle for single free throws down the stretch.

Eventually Brennan Williams brought the hometown crowd to its feet with a successful three-point bomb that knotted the score at 53 apiece with just 56 seconds remaining.

Still reveling in the excitement, Williams had enough presence of mind to snag an errant pass and whip it upcourt to senior teammate Mason Garcea, who was hacked while attempting a breakaway layin. His two swishers from the line provided the local basketeers with their first lead since early in the contest.

Riley Swenson, whose increased presence on the hardwoods has been a boon to the Sparts’ efforts, intercepted the rock on Monroe’s next trip down the floor. Garcea’s next two pressurepacked gifters essentially sealed the Bearcats’ fate and Stanwood solidified its district qualifying position coming into this week, the final week of the regular season.

Stanwood’s leading point-producer, Cannen Roberson, was held in check by a ball-seeking Monroe defense and some early foul trouble.

“Credit some of our other kids for picking up the slack (while Roberson was on the bench). Our entire staff knows we have depth, we just haven’t been able to get a consistent effort from game-to-game,” said coach Zach Ward.

“I think the people in the gym saw some of the depth we can have with the roles that Ian Zipp, Brady Garcea, Drew Sears and Drew Stang gave off the bench,” continued their mentor. “Brennan Williams showed some great senior leadership, and how about Mason Garcea stepping up and hitting four big free throws down the stretch?”

Scoring for the Spartans were Williams 19, Zipp 12, M. Garcea 8, Roberson 8, Josh Thayer 3, Stang 2, B. Garcea 2, Sears 2 and Swenson 1.

Earlier in the week the results were not quite so satisfying.

The first game of the week with Lake Stevens saw the Spartans knot the score twice in the final quarter after suffering through a 4-for-32 effort from the floor in the first half. That poor offensive performance was seemingly due to an 11- day gap resulting from bad weather.

“I don’t want to make excuses, but there was some definite rust with the school closures last week,” noted Ward.

The first tie (41-41) came when Brennan Williams found Cannen Roberson flying to the basket via the back door. The second was a reversal of roles for the pair as Roberson assisted Williams on a jumper that made it 43 apiece with 53 seconds remaining.

Much later, after the Vikings failed to exploit Stanwood’s defense, Mason Garcea had what appeared to be a clear path to the basket. Lake Stevens’ Christian Gasca, however, stunned the assemblage with a highflying rejection of Garcea’s layin. During subsequent play, a Stanwood turnover resulted in a Viking basket at the other end with a mere two seconds remaining and that was the game.

Tallying for the locals were Williams 16, Roberson 14, Sears 8, M. Garcea 2, Thayer 2 and Swenson 1.

Being outscored 14-2 in the overtime sealed the Spartans’ fate in the encounter with Kamiak. It was a buzzer-beating three-pointer by sophomore Brady Garcea that allowed Stanwood to move on to the extra fiveminute period. However, after the younger Garcea found Roberson under the glass for two points early, the Knights systematically scored 12 consecutive points to put the game to rest.

“(After) Brady’s 3-pointer at the buzzer, I really thought that was going to propel us into the overtime,” said Ward. “It was a huge emotional surge, but it just wasn’t meant to be.”

Williams led the points parade with 16, Roberson tallied 10, Drew Stang and the Garcea brothers managed 5 points apiece, while Drew Sears 3, Thayer 2, and senior wing Reece Esary 1 closed out the scoring.

“That is what athletics is all about, and why we do what we do,” said Ward. “The kids get a chance to face adversity and prosper. I know Mason was pretty hard on himself, as the point guard, with how our team finished the last two games, but he was right back in the mix (Friday) night in a crucial situation again. I am really proud of him and his confidence to step up and knock those free throws down.”