Cruisers Drop Championship Game To Rockets, 44-42

Looking to do something no other boys basketball team has done at Eatonville since 1968 when the Coach Larry Hosley led Cruisers captured the district title, the Cruisers stepped into Bo Griffith Memorial Gym at Montesano High School on Friday night looking to snap that 54-year-old district championship winless streak.

Unfortunately, the Castle Rock Rockets had something to say about that.

While they enjoyed a 13 point lead at the half, the Eatonville Cruiser basketball team couldn't close it out and were outscored 27-12 in the second half as the Castle Rock Rockets went on to seal a 44-42 victory and become the 2022 Southwest District IV Champions at Montesano High School on Friday night.

Turnovers plagued the Rockets in the first half that allowed the Cruisers to enjoy a double-digit lead at the half.

In the second half, the roles were reversed and the Cruisers struggled with the turnover bug and also had a few key players get into foul trouble.

Eatonville Head Coach Mark Swartout gives some last minute instructions to his team during a time-out in their game Friday against Castle Rock in the District IV championship game. Photo: Alyssa Wood-Shotswell

In the final quarter and the Cruisers trailing by 1 with 20 seconds on the clock, Kyle Cox pulled down a rebound off a missed Castle Rock free throw and sailed the pass down the court and it was tipped by a Rockets player allowing another Rockets player to pick the ball off and was fouled. He would make the first free throw and miss the second to extend their lead to 44-42.

Trailing by 2 with 6.5 seconds left on the clock, the Cruisers quickly pushed the ball up court to try and tie or win the game. They found Jakob Lucht in the corner but his shot missed the mark.

Shay Brannon led the Cruisers with 9 points and 15 rebounds. Jake Wood scored 8 points and pulled down 11 rebounds, Kyle Cox had 7 points and 3 rebounds, and Reilly McIlraith was limited to 7 points.

Although it was a heartbreaking loss, Head Coach Mark Swartout and his team aren't going to dwell on the past.

"I'm proud of these young men. We had a couple of our key players get into foul trouble and that made it tough down the stretch. We are looking forward, not backward. We have a big game ahead of us next weekend and we need to get these guys where they need to be," said Swartout.

That big game Swartout is referring to is the regional round of the 2022 WIAA Hardwood Classic state basketball tournament that starts on Friday. The WIAA seeding committee has given Eatonville a #15 seed and they will play the #10 seed Seattle Academy Cardinals at Bellevue College on Saturday, February 26th at noon.