The Bellingham boys basketball team kept its season alive by coming alive in the fourth quarter to knock off Marysville-Pilchuck, 66-59, in the Class 2A District 1 play-in game on Monday, Feb. 9.
The victory raised the Bayhawks’ record to 9-12 and advanced the eighth seed into the double-elimination portion of the tournament. Bellingham will visit Lynden (15-6) in a quarterfinal contest on Wednesday at 6 p.m. In their regular season game, the Lions beat the Bayhawks, 60-49, on Jan. 10.
Bellingham certainly was favored Monday night having beaten the Tomahawks in a non-conference contest on Dec. 6, 71-24. But the Bayhawks had trouble shaking off ninth-seeded Marysville-Pilchuck.
After a tight first half and a back-and-forth third quarter in which the teams traded baskets and leads the final four minutes, the Bayhawks held a tenuous 52-51 lead a minute and a half into the fourth period. But that’s when senior forwards Joe Harward and Barrett Johnson took over.
Over the next 90 seconds, Johnson sank a free throw, Harward scored inside, Johnson put in a rebound, and Harward made two free throws, and suddenly Bellingham had and eight-point lead. When Marysville-Pilchuck hit a 3-pointer, senior guard Cyrus Campos countered with a 3-pointer for the Bayhawks.
And when the Tomahawks made one last stab at the lead, cutting the margin to four with a minute and a half to go, Harward made two more free throws and a layup to hold off Marysville-Pilchuck and put Bellingham into the quarterfinals.
“Survive and advance,” said Bellingham coach Brad McKay. “Barrett made the difference tonight.”
Harward would finish with a team-high 28 points, Johnson had 16 points, junior guard Calvin Van Hofwegen had 8 points, and Campos had 6 points with Van Hofwegen and Campos hitting two 3-pointers each.
The difference turned out to be free throws as Bellingham sank 15 of 26 and Marysville-Pilchuck hit eight of 10.
The Tomahawks, whose season ended with a 5-16 record, were led in scoring by sophomore Michael Rangel-Smathers, who didn’t play in the first game with Bellingham but had 29 points and four his team’s nine 3-pointers on Monday.
Bellingham 66, Marysville-Pilchuck 59
Marysville-Pilchuck 11 17 20 11—59
Bellingham 13 19 18 16—66
Marysville-Pilchuck: Rangel-Smathers 29, Taylor 15, Bohling, Sisk 5, Compaore 4, Alghazali, S. Hayward, Moore 6.
Bellingham: Wright 2, Loveland, Vanhouten 3, Campos 6, Harward 28, Johnson 16, McGerr 3, Van Hofwegen 8.
CLASS 2A BOYS DISTRICT 1 TOURNAMENT
Monday, Feb. 9
Play-in game
#8 Bellingham, 66, #9 Marysville-Pilchuck 59 (loser out)
Wednesday, Feb. 11
Quarterfinals
Bellingham at #1 Lynden, 6 p.m.
#7 Squalicum at #2 Anacortes, 6 p.m.
#6 Archbishop Murphy at #3 Sehome, 6 p.m.
#5 Burlington-Edison at #4 Lakewood, 6 p.m.
