The men’s basketball team split two overtime thrillers last week but still punched their ticket to the NWAC tournament.
The T-Birds are 8-5 on the season. Highline has recently had a few players out of uniform, but the roster was replenished in last week’s games against Lower Columbia and Pierce.
Having to adjust the roster between games makes things inconsistent, even if the players coming back contribute significantly, said Highline Head Coach Che Dawson.
“We need to get back to a consistent rotation, now that we have the roster we will have moving forward,” said Dawson.
On Wednesday, March 2, Highline battled it out against West Region champs Lower Columbia, but came up short in overtime 94-87. Both teams were nearly identical on the stats sheet except in rebounds where Lower Columbia snagged 55 to Highline’s 36.
With tied scoring to start overtime, it was any team’s shot at victory. But a steady performance from the Red Devils widened the gap to close out the game 94-87.
Keeping the No.1 in the West so close to come up short was disheartening, but Coach Dawson commended his team on their hard fight.
“The guys really believed we were going to win. That’s the first hurdle. LCC just made some big plays in overtime and we did not. I was proud of the fight the guys put up,” said Coach Dawson.
Last Saturday, Highline beat Pierce at home, 84-79. The Raiders took Highline to overtime despite only having six players.
In the first half, Highline had a sluggish start to the game, falling behind 16 points at the half. The Thunderbirds edged their way back with 20-37 shooting in the second.
The over time period went back and forth with each team briefly claiming the lead. A dunk from Micah Jessie followed up by a layup from Earl Lee helped Highline close out the game, 84-79.
Highline switched up their strategy to come out on top in overtime. Coach Dawson said the team played with a lot more energy defensively in the second half which allowed them to get easy buckets and energy in the open court.
Highline was led by Micah Jessie with 27 points on 13-18 shooting. Guard Kenny Kurtis added 17 points and 3-8 shooting behind the three point line.
Pierce’s Michael Ajayi led the Raiders with 22 points on 10-16 shooting. Torrey Cady chipped in 21 points on 4-8 three point shooting.
Despite the postseason being in sight, the team is still focused on a strong conference finish. Coach Dawson was unwilling to look ahead to the NWAC championships just yet.
“I’m not sure which tournament you are referring to until after we have our last regular season game on Wednesday,” said Dawson.
Highline hosted Centralia yesterday with results unavailable at press time.
The NWAC tournament begins March 17 in Everett. Seeding for the tournament brackets will depend on the results of last night’s games. Highline could conceivably finish third in the west if it beats 2-11 Centralia and if 9-4 Green River loses at 10-3 Tacoma.