By Coach Rob Mathison

The Seattle Swag hoped to close their season with a win against Green Lake this past Saturday as a win would give the 13-year-old Loyal Heights boys basketball team their third victory of the season, and put a stamp on the improvement they’ve shown since an 0-3 start.

In a back and forth game played in front of a standing-room-only crowd at Loyal Heights, the Swag battled valiantly. Tim Malone rejected a Green Lake lay-up. Michael Johnson and Robert Mathison played stingy defense and grabbed offensive rebounds. Antonio Diaz-Mitchell had strong drives while Josh Malone and Michael Scherrer put on a shooting clinic.

In spite of their efforts, the Swag fell 28-24.

It was a breathtaking second half. The Swag trailed 14-12 when Brown’s pair of three pointers sandwiched a Malone steal to give the Swag a comfortable 18-14 lead.

But Green Lake responded with a long jumper by Gus Norton and a three-pointer by Aaron Kim to re-take the lead. The teams traded three-pointers until a nifty play by Norton sparked momentum for Green Lake.

With the ball sailing out of bounds under the Green Lake hoop, Norton leaped, turned in mid-air and bounced the ball off Scherrer to preserve possession and the lead for Green Lake.

The Swag rallied again in the fourth quarter. A Diaz-Mitchell lay-up and Scherrer free-throw tied the game at 24 with four minutes to play, bringing the crowd to its feet. But Green Lake responded with clutch shooting to take a four-point lead with two minutes remaining, and Tre McAdams used deft ball handling to run out the clock and seal Green Lake’s third victory.

The Swag was led by Brown’s 12 points, with Scherrer, Mathison and Diaz-Mitchell also scoring. Green Lake was led by Kim’s 14 points, with McAdams and Norton also contributing points.