A big second-half rally fell just short for the Juanita High boys basketball team in the season opener on Monday at Bothell High School.
The Rebels trailed 47-37 at halftime, but opened the third quarter on an 11-0 run. Bothell held a one-point lead after three quarters, and made a big defensive play in transition to hold on for a 78-77 nonconference victory.
Juanita had tied the game at 75 on a bucket from Zach Miller, but the three-point opportunity rimmed off. Bothell senior Josh Kollman, who led all scorers with 27 points, came up with a critical steal and free-throw in the final seconds of the game.
Regan-Hughes scored all 17 of his team-high 17 points in the second half, including nine points in the fourth quarter. Miller had a big fourth period as well, scoring eight points in the quarter.
Ryan Trautmann finished with 14 points and hit four three-pointers. Brighton Maughan and Miller both finished with 12 points.
Bothell’s Jake Modjo hit the go-ahead layup to put Bothell on top 77-75, and scored 10 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter. Cameron Tyson finished with 15 points, 12 of which came in the first half.
Next, Juanita is scheduled to open the KingCo 3A schedule at at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 2 at Redmond High School. Bothell is set to play a nonconference game at 7:15 p.m. on Dec. 2 at Edmonds-Woodway High School.