Schools
In Sammamish Basketball, Eastlake High Seniors Swallow Bitter Pill in Final Game
The Eastlake boys basketball team, which includes 11 seniors, fell to Woodinville in the second round of the 4A KingCo tournament on Friday at the Juanita Fieldhouse
Head coach Brian Dailey's were eliminated from the 4A KingCo boys basketball tournament on Friday in the second round after being defeated 73-64 by Woodinville.
The loss ends the Wolves' season and ends the high school careers of 11 seniors on Dailey's roster.
"Those 11 guys are the cornerstone of our program from here on out, so I'll never forget those guys," said Dailey.
Find out what's happening in Sammamish-Issaquahfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Eastlake trailed by only two at halftime and pulled to within 43-43 after two free throws from , but the Falcons would use a 7-1 run over the final four-plus minute of the third quarter to take control of the game.
Woodinville was paced in the second half by senior Austin Bonvallet, who had ten points in the final quarter to end any thoughts the Wolves had of a comeback.
Find out what's happening in Sammamish-Issaquahfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Bonvallet finished with 17 points on 6-10 shooting from the floor and a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line.
"We were just kind of playing frantic and we just settled down," Bonvallet said of his team's key to success of the final ten-plus minutes of the game.
Dailey praised the Falcons for their ability to remain steady on both ends of the floor throughout the game.
"What's great about Woodinville is they're very consistent, very solid," Dailey said.
Bonvallet, who missed a shot that could have given his team a first round win over Newport, talked also about the importance of extending his Woodinville career.
"It's my senior year and potentially my last game, I wasn't going to go out like that," Bonvallet said.
Woodinville's leading scorer was senior Joe Reavley, who had 19. Fellow senior Peter Flint added 14 more on 7-9 shooting from the floor.
With the victory, the Falcons remain alive and will face Skyline, who lost to Garfield in their semi-final contest.
The loss concludes the first season for Dailey as the Wolves head coach. Only four players currently on the Eastlake roster are underclassmen and will return next season.
When asked what his final message was to his 11 seniors after the game, Dailey was candid and straightforward as always.
The Eastlake coach said he told his outgoing seniors to, "be relentless, execute and be determined in their lives".