The O’Dea Fighting Irish (17-8) faced a tough challenge in their state 3A regional matchup with Mountlake Terrace (21-2), having to rally from a nine-point deficit going into the fourth quarter to advance to the quarterfinals of the 3A state tournament next week at the Tacoma Dome.
Mountlake Terrace forward Zaveon Jones was dominant in the paint early, scoring eight of the Hawks’ first ten points. However, the Fighting Irish went on a five-point run to end the first quarter, taking a 17-14 lead into the second. In the second quarter, Mountlake Terrace outscored O’Dea 15-6, led by Jaxon Dubiel’s eight points, to take a 29-23 lead at halftime.
After halftime, O’Dea began the third quarter outscoring Mountlake Terrace 9-2, tying the game at 31-31 with just under six minutes left in the quarter. Mountlake Terrace responded with a 6-0 run to take a 37-32 lead, and Jaxon Dubiel would close out the quarter with six unanswered points of his own, including a steal and layup, giving the Hawks their largest lead of the game, 47-38, heading into the fourth.
In the fourth quarter, O’Dea increased their defensive pressure, limiting the Hawks to just four points midway through the quarter. Offensively, BJ Shannon and Breylen Webb scored O’Dea’s first four points, before guard Antone Araujo completed a three-point play. Mountlake Terrace’s Rayshaun Conner responded with a layup, but it wasn’t enough as O’Dea went on a 6-0 run to tie the game at 51-51 with 3:06 left, forcing Mountlake Terrace to call a timeout.
After the timeout, O’Dea’s Malcolm Clark made a crucial shot in the paint. Brian Webster followed with a steal and layup, and Clark scored another field goal in the paint, giving O’Dea a 57-53 lead with about two minutes left. Mountlake Terrace rallied behind Jones, who scored two points in the paint and converted two free throws, cutting O’Dea’s lead to 57-55.
With 9.7 seconds left in the game, O’Dea’s Antone Araujo fouled Jaxon Dubiel on a three-point attempt, sending him to the line for three shots. Jaxon Dubiel converted 2 of the 3 free throws, tying the game at 57.
In the final moments of the game, O’Dea’s BJ Shannon took the inbounds pass the length of the court before passing to Malcolm Clark, who made the game-winning layup as time expired, securing a 59-57 victory for O’Dea over Mountlake Terrace. Clark finished the game with 16 points, while teammate Brian Webster chipped in 15 points for O’Dea. Jaxon Dubiel led Mountlake Terrace with 21 points, and teammate Zaveon Jones added 14 points.
With the win, O’Dea improves to 18-9 and advances to the quarterfinal round of the state playoffs, with a game at the Tacoma Dome on Thursday, Feb. 29 at 9:00 a.m. Mountlake Terrace will play a loser-out game against the winner of the Todd Beamer-Mount Vernon game on Wednesday.
Pictorial Highlight of O’Dea vs Mountlake Terrace
