Shorecrest loses to O’Dea 73-69 in Regionals

SC Daniel Ghebremichael leaps to take a shot, while O'Dea's
6'9" Jacob Lampkin reaches up
Photo by Geoff Vlcek

Everyone could see it coming, and nobody could do a thing to prevent it.

When O’Dea came down the court for the last time Friday night, trailing the Shorecrest Scots by a single point in their Regional clash at Mountlake Terrace H. S., the Fighting Irish’s sharpshooter Quin Barnard wasn’t just asking for the ball – he was jumping up and down just beyond the three point stripe, demanding it. He had already hit on four long shots, and he was the best shooter the Scots had seen all season.

A teammate fed him the ball, and with twenty seconds left in the game, Barnard rose up and drained the distant shot, his fifth three-pointer of the game, to give his team a two point lead.

The Scots, who trailed by eleven points early in the fourth quarter, had one last chance to win or tie. But Conin Oishi’s three-point shot rimmed out, and the Scots’ magical eleven game win streak, and season, were over.

The Scots hustled and scrapped all night against the bigger and more athletic O’Dea team, who were battled tested from playing in the mighty Metro League against the State’s top teams.

Conin Oishi #3 took on the scoring burden
O'Dea's #3 Jamie Orme on the right
Photo by Geoff Vlcek

Oishi uncharacteristically took on more of the scoring burden, attacking the basket frequently, showing disdain for O’Dea’s 6’ 9” center Jacob Lampkin on his acrobatic drives to the hoop, while still practicing prestidigitation with his pinpoint passing. He finished with 13 points.

Fellow guards Daniel Ghebremichael (12 points) and Benny Ortega (9 points) were demons on both sides of the court. Defensively, both showed the guts of a cat burglar and the quick hands of a pickpocket, stripping the Irish guards of the ball on several occasions.

Although he failed to score, Zach Lawson provided a steady hand bringing the ball up the court.

Alex Hofstrang #22 totalled 9 points
Photo by Geoff Vlcek

Forward Alex Hofstrand totaled nine points before fouling out. He stood his ground fearlessly in the paint against the taller Irish.

Masamba Njadoe lit up the scoreboard for the Scots, leading the scoring for them with 23 points, many of them coming on close-in shots after taking beautiful passes from teammates. At 6’ 4”, he was disadvantaged against the taller Lampkin, but Njadoe held him to only four baskets.   

Masamba Njadoe #35 lit up the scoreboard
Photo by Geoff Vlcek

When Oishi’s last shot missed, Njadoe picked up his fifth foul going for the rebound with but one-tenth of a second remaining. All in attendance, even on the O’Dea side of the packed Terrace gym, rose to applaud the big man’s efforts. 

Lampkin made both ensuing free throws to make the final score 73-69.

With the blast of the horn signaling game’s end, the finality of it all wasn’t lost on the Shorecrest players. The disappointment of the defeat was a bittersweet mix to go with the pride the team felt, knowing they had played well and left it all out on the court. 

If there were any regrets to be had, they came from the stats sheet. The Scots were 13-for-23 from the foul line, while O’Dea made 19 of their 30 free throws.

For the season, Shorecrest finished with a 17-7 mark.

O’Dea             23   19   12   19        73

Shorecrest       19   20   12   18       69