Wildcats notch two more
Published 10:42 pm Thursday, October 2, 2008
The Mount Si Wildcat boys’ basketball team is now starting to think postseason.
Mount Si went to league cellar-dweller Liberty last Tuesday and did something they had not done much of this season: led a game from start to finish. Behind 17 points from Kyle Meuli and a strong 15-point, nine-rebound effort from Kevin Englund, the Wildcats took a 32-20 lead at half and never looked back, beating the Patriots 62-47.
Tylor Littlejohn added a nine-point, seven-rebound effort to help the Mount Si cause. The Wildcats won, despite a difficult night from behind the three-point line: Liberty’s defense held Mount Si to just two for the entire contest; Meuli and Greg Beckmann hit those shots. Mount Si outrebounded the Patriots 42-24.
Corey Jackson and Ryan Peterson each scored 11 for Liberty, while Gary Flanik added 10 rebounds to the Patriots’ effort.
But another recent game wasn’t as easy.
“I’m so happy we won. We got lucky,” said Wildcat senior reserve Remo Castagno, reacting after last Friday’s game against Sammamish.
What looked like a one-sided Totem rout early on turned into a classic, and Mount Si barely escaped with another victory, thanks to one shot.
With 14 seconds left in regulation and the Wildcats trailing 54-53, Englund missed a free throw after being fouled. On the rebound following the miss, Mount Si and Sammamish both got hands on the ball, and a jump ball was called. The Wildcats got possession of the ball. Englund made amends for his free-throw miss hitting a layup with 11 seconds left to give Mount Si a 55-54 lead. The Totems called a timeout. On the ensuing possession, Sammamish came down the floor, but was heavily guarded by Wildcat defenders. The Totems missed their game-winning shot attempt, and Mount Si fans stormed the court, something rarely, if ever, seen.
There was one strange thing, though, about the game-winning play: Englund wasn’t supposed to get the ball.
“We were running a play to originally get [Kyle] Meuli open on the wing, and I was rolling back to the basket, and we thought they were going to switch on the screen, but I just rolled back and I was wide open. I caught the ball and … I laid it up,” Englund said.
Englund scored a game-high 18 points, while Meuli added 16 and Ryan Reilly 10 for the Wildcats. Danny Bright scored 18 for Sammamish, while Thomas Bright and Kenny Bartz each added 11 for the Totems to pace their efforts.
Sammamish was playing without senior star Jaz Giacchetti, who was out sick. Giacchetti was at the game and sat at the end of his team’s bench wearing a suit and tie.
Totems’ coach Chris O’Connor said this loss may potentially be good for his team.
“This is going to do nothing but motivate us more,” O’Connor said. ” I’ve got tough kids. I’ve got kids that have certain goals and we’re just trying to work every day and get better and that’s all we can do. You put this game at a neutral court, and we’ll win it.”
There were more signs last Friday that the wins are drawing more interest in the team. The upper section of bleachers that usually is not opened up for basketball was put in use. The noise and tension in the gym as the seconds ticked down was something not seen at Mount Si in quite some time. It appears the Valley community is figuring out that this season’s boys’ team is a very special one, and Englund praised the fans.
“Our fans are great: our sixth man,” Englund said.
Next Friday proves to be a special night, and likely a can’t-miss for Valley sports fans. The boys will be hosting Mercer Island, and the game will be the last home game for the eight seniors on the Mount Si team: Englund, Meuli, Beckmann, Castagno, Kyle Clearman, Nick Dietsch, Tylor Littlejohn and Ryan Reilly. The Islanders are in a fight for a postseason berth, so they will be hungry for a win. Tip time is 7:30 p.m., and if last Friday’s game is any indication, look for a large crowd.
