The Lake Washington boys basketball team used a huge third quarter Saturday night to punch their ticket to the state tournament and the elite eight.
The 87-60 win against Bremerton at Bothell High School means both the boys and girls teams will compete for their respective state titles at the Sun Dome in Yakima next week.
“That’s awesome,” said Lake Washington boys basketball head coach Ryan Staudacher, about the two teams’ accomplishments. “It’s just great for the school. We have the best fans in KingCo.”
The boys’ 17-3 run during the opening moments of the third quarter proved to be the biggest difference in a dominating performance against Bremerton, as Lake Washington built an insurmountable 61-33 lead.
“They are a good basketball team but the difference was a lot of our shots were falling tonight,” said Ryan Staudacher.
The Kangs wasted no time getting off to a quick start following the opening tip off. A three-pointer from Jeff Staudacher and a basket from Kelly Guy to begin the game gave Lake Washington a very quick 5-0 lead and set the tone.
“We made our first couple of threes which made them get outside on us and defend our shooters,” said Guy, who led all scorers with 30 points during the game.
But that five-point advantage grew into a 12-4 lead. Lake Washington continued to push the pace, doubling up the Knights with a 26-13 lead before the end of the first quarter.
Bremerton found their groove on offense during the second quarter, keeping pace but never cutting into the lead buy more than four points.
A big dunk by Lake Washington center Austin Glenn, followed by a big three-point basket by Jeff Staudacher, helped the Kangs maintain a 14-point lead going into halftime.
Lake Washington leaned on their big third-quarter advantage and cruised through a Bremerton push during the waning minutes of the game.
Drew Heimdahl finished with 21 points, while Staudacher had 19.
“We’ve been working together really hard and we know what it takes to get to state,” said Jeff Staudacher.
The seniors on the team competed in the state tourament during their sophomore season.
Lake Washington finished the regular season with a 9-5 record and third in 2A/3A KingCo. They take a 15-8 overall record to state.
