There was plenty of drama Tuesday night in Bothell as Cedar Park Christian senior guard Trey Drechsel powered up a game-winning layup with three seconds left to give his team a comeback victory, 45-44, against Vashon Island.
“This was a great team win,” said Cedar Park head coach Adam Lynch. “Our guys showed they have the heart of a champion and never quit. Our seniors played like seniors.”
During the first half the Eagle defense kept Vashon’s top scorers, junior Jessie Norton and sophomore Sam Yates, from finding any rhythm and holding the team to 16 points. Cedar Park’s 25 first-half points were exclusively on layups against a porous defense. Vashon coach Andy Sears must have had a good halftime locker room speech, as Vashon came back with a 17 point third quarter, led by strong inside moves to the basket by senior Owen Brenno and contributions by Yates. The Vashon defense held Cedar Park to just six points during the quarter, giving Vashon a slim lead.
The Eagles kept pace with Vashon in the fourth quarter of play. Vashon junior, Ian Stewart, seemingly put the game away on a pair of free-throws, putting Vashon up by four points with about 10 seconds left.
Cedar Park hustled the ball up court where Drechsel quickly landed a three pointer to close within one point. After the ball was inbounded by Vashon, Eagle senior Isaiah Penchion stepped in front of the next pass for a steal, nearly tipping over out of bounds. Penchion managed to keep his balance and spotted Drechsel wide open under the basket.
The senior guard muscled up a shot with under five seconds remaining. Vashon had one last shot at the tie or win but Yates failed to get a shot off before the scoreboard lights lit up, the final buzzer sounded and the Eagle’s student section rushed the court.
Drechsel led all scorers with 21 points, while Nate Lundberg had seven. Penchion and McLaurin each had six points for Cedar Park.
Vashon suffered its first loss of the season less than a week ago, a one-point defeat to Eatonville. Vashon Island started the season with an undefeated record of 10-0, including a 23-point win against Cedar Park. The Eagles season started bumpy, going 0-4 during a holiday tournament. But since that time, Cedar Park has won six straight league games. The win puts the Eagles alone atop the 1A Nisqually League standings with an 8-1 record in league play.
The Eagles will face a difficult Charles Wright Academy team in Tacoma on the road on Jan. 28. They play their next home game in Bothell at 7 p.m. on Feb. 7 against Cascade Christian.
