THURSTON – The Thurston Colts boys basketball team – riding high on a 12-game winning streak – went into Saturday’s playoff game against No. 15 Centennial blazing hot. They did not expect the Eagles to be equally en fuego.
The higher-seeded Colts trailed most of the game due to the Eagles’ strong effort, but Thurston was able to edge out Centennial 50-48, extending the winning streak to 13 and securing their ticket to the Class 5A state tournament at McMinnville this weekend.
“I thought we showed our resiliency,” Thurston coach Blaine Liberatore said. “We’ve been down a few times this year and we made plays down the stretch, and we did it again … We knew they’d be really good. They’re the 15 seed, but they’re not the 15 seed … that’s a really, really good basketball team.”
The atmosphere was electric as Thurston took the lead with 34 seconds remaining after trailing the entire fourth quarter. According to Liberatore, the crowd gave the Colts an advantage in their late-game push for the win.
CURTIS JOHNSON / PHOTO
“(The crowd) made a difference,” said Liberatore, his enthusiasm matching the fans’ excitement. “Colts Nation showed out, and we’ve got to get them out to Linfield next Thursday night at 8:15.”
Thurston faces No. 7 Summit at Linfield University on Thursday at 8:15 p.m. for a chance to play in the semifinals.
“We’re gonna prep like we normally do,” Liberatore said. ”Summit’s good, really good … They’re tough, they’re well coached, they have pedigree, but (it’s a) pretty resilient group we have here who (aren’t) afraid of a big moment.”
