Ghebremichael Shines As Scots Take Down Undefeated Stanwood

Ghebremichael Shines As Scots Take Down Undefeated Stanwood
By Steven Dion

It is rare to be undefeated in late February as the state finals are right around the corner. For the Stanwood Spartans, part of a blemish-free record is the target on their backs every game and the pressure-cooker to keep the streak alive. With berths to the regional round already secured, the Scots from Shorecrest Senior High School were able to play with a “nothing-to-lose, everything-to-gain” mentality and challenge for a district title. The player responsible for deciding this game in the waning minutes would be completely unexpected.

When the teams took the floor, the similarities between the two squads were strikingly apparent. Both featured small guard corps as each team had three starters under 6’. The favorite Spartans jumped out to a quick 10-4 lead in the first quarter. Scots’ coach Brian Fischer called a timeout to rally the troops and calm his team down. They responded nicely by quickly closing the gap back up. The clash of centers Masamba Njadoe of ‘Crest and aptly named Drew Stans of Stanwood was intriguing as both players were the prominent forces down low. The Spartans took a 25-22 lead into the locker room as the final few minutes of the half turned into a track meet as the court opened up and the teams ran up and down it.

The third quarter started with a rainstorm in the form of Brady Garcia three pointers. This allowed Shorecrest to grab an early lead in the second half. The momentum carried to the defensive side for the Scots as well through a handful of highlight blocks by Njadoe. However, Stanwood’s leading scorer Josh Thayer started heating up and his fifteen points in the final sixteen minutes helped his team pick up a lead of six with only three points remaining. Enter Daniel Ghebremichael. A non-starter from the Shorecrest lineup finished this game in a fashion that it will be night he will never forget. After the timeout, he grabbed a steal, took it to the rim for a bucket and the foul. With a minute remaining and a tied ballgame, Ghebremichael spotted up for a contested three that went through the net flawlessly. Stanwood’s desperation shot to tie it up clanged off side-rim and was rebounded by Gheb who was promptly fouled. The Scot from the bench scored 13 points in the game, 11 of which came in the fourth quarter. The District 1 title goes to Shorecrest with a shocking 63-58 victory.

Top Performers:
Shorecrest
Daniel Ghebremichael-13 points off bench (11 in 4th quarter including game winning 3-pointer)
Masamba Njadoe-10 points, huge defensive impact

Stanwood
Josh Thayer-20 points (3/3 FT’s)