McMINNVILE – Just how crazy was the Class 5A boys basketball state tournament this past weekend?
For starters, the underdogs – the teams with the less-favorable seeds – won seven of the 11 games at Linfield University, including Saturday’s championship game, when 9th-seeded La Salle Prep edged 7th-seeded Summit 57-56 after La Salle’s Paul Skoro was intentionally fouled near halfcourt with two seconds left and the score tied at 56-all.
Skoro alertly saw the foul coming and got into his shooting motion, earning three free throws. He made the second one, accounting for the final margin.
“We said going in that this tournament was as wide-open as it’s ever been,” Thurston coach Blaine Liberatore said Sunday from home after his No. 2-seeded Colts finished in sixth place.
Summit – the team that lost that thriller in the finals – literally proved to be too tall of an order for Thurston in Thursday’s state opener.
Behind a 33-20 rebounding advantage and a 21-5 edge in free-throw attempts, Summit took control early, leading 32-12 at halftime, before the Colts fought their way back to make it close before losing, 54-46.
“They were long and they were well-prepared,” Liberatore said. “We didn’t play our best game, but we barely practiced a full practice last week. I’m not one to make excuses, but we have about six guys who are sick or injured right now. But we have a resilient bunch of guys.”
The Colts got to experience the thrill of victory – the kind of moment they’ll always remember – in their consolation-round matchup with No. 6 Crescent Valley. Thurston led the entire game, until Crescent Valley converted a three-point play with 4.9 seconds left to take a 49-48 lead.
“We inbounded the ball and the first option wasn’t there, and the second option wasn’t there,” Liberatore said. “So we went to Treyson Hill, our freshman, and he scored at the buzzer.”
That win earned Thurston a chance to play in the 4th-6th Place Game, where it lost to No. 5 West Albany, 58-47. After being held in check the first two games, leading scorer Lucas LaBounty scored 20 points for the Colts in that game.
