Down by 1 point in overtime, Woodinville has the ball. 23.6 seconds left, a chance to win the game, a chance to move onto the next round in the playoffs. Everything was on the line for the Falcons last night.
The shot rims out.
Inglemoor seals the win with free throws at the other end and the Woodinville Falcons Boys Basketball season is over.
59-57 was the final score, but even with it being so close, the pain of losing doesn’t hurt any less.
For all the seniors on the team, this was the last game they would ever play in a Falcons uniform. It was the last time they would hear the crowd, last time they would put everything they had onto the basketball court.
It was the last time.
Of course they can play in college, but that isn’t the same as playing for their high school. At the high school level, you are playing with guys you grew up with, you are playing with the game because you love it and you love the competition.
For these seniors, there will never be another experience like this.
The game of course had it’s highlights, from leading at the end of the first quarter 15-9, the Falcons looked like they had some type of rhythm going on despite not running a clear-cut offense.
Senior Jake Miller hit some corner three’s and junior Tommy Wick found his shot at all spots on the court.
Senior Quinten Parker had some great shots down low and senior John Villasenor did all he could to muscle his way to the basket.
These four guys played their hearts out.
Going into halftime, Woodinville lost its lead and was down 28-32. The third quarter had its up’s and down’s, with turnovers right and left to big time three’s falling down.
The start of the fourth quarter, Woodinville was still down, this time by a margin of 6 points.
The Falcons stepped it up on offense and forced Inglemoor into some tough shots at the other end of the floor.
Tied 53-53 with 2:30 left to go in the fourth quarter, both teams knew they had to score. Inglemoor scored first and things were looking bleak for Woodinville.
However, Villasenor came through for the Falcons and made the game-tying layup, sending the game into overtime.
As stated, the Falcons then proceeded to lose in overtime, as turnovers were the main factor.
This was it. The last game of the season for the boys. For seniors, it hurt. But, at least the three seniors who played knew that they did all they could.
For the younger members of the team, they got to experience what losing a game like this felt like. They got to see the heartbreak and now it will be up to them next year to step up and not continue this trend.
Good luck to all the players on the squad-seniors, juniors, sophomores, even our one freshman, in the next coming years.
One Falcon, One Family.
