TACOMA — The Union boys basketball team even celebrates with style.
Garett Speyer slammed into Todd Spike, sending the assistant coach crashing to the floor
Mitch Saylor and Taylor Nelson, known also for their football abilities, jumped and hugged on the basketball court.
Caleb Whalen said he freaked out.
You see, the Union Titans went into a frenzy because the Union Titans are going to the finals.
Saylor’s 6-foot floater with 10 seconds left gave Union the lead, then the Titans defended Lakes’ final 3-point try. The ball bounced off the rim, and the Titans had a 63-62 victory in the Class 3A state semifinals Friday night in the Tacoma Dome.
“That’s the first time I’ve ever had something like that,” Saylor said of his game-winner. “I have no idea what to say. It’s unreal right now.”
Union, an unlikely finalist with a record of 18-9, will play top-ranked and undefeated Enumclaw in Saturday’s championship game.
The Titans finished seventh last year in their first appearance at state, quite an accomplishment for a second-year school. Now, three seasons into coach Maco Hamilton’s program, the Titans have a chance at a state title.
“We’re playing with the best of the best, and we keep winning,” said Chris Morgan, who led the Titans with 20 points.
Union topped Rainier Beach — ranked second in the state by the Seattle Times — in Thursday’s quarterfinals, and beat No. 4 Lakes for the second time in two weeks. Unranked Union topped the Lancers in the bi-district tournament.
“It’s all a magical ride,” said Union coach Maco Hamilton, who also was a big part of the celebration Friday night.
“My joy is with these kids,” he said. “I push them every day in practice. When I see them do the things I ask them to do, I celebrate with them.”
Hamilton deserves plenty of credit for this ride. His confidence in his team was displayed by the winning strategy discussed during a timeout with 53 seconds to play, with Union trailing 62-61.
Hamilton gave his players the green light to make a play, not to worry about calling a timeout, if they succeeded in making a defensive stop.
Lakes’ Isaac Winston missed a 3-pointer with 19 seconds remaining, and Whalen grabbed the rebound. He found Morgan, who pushed the ball upcourt, and with two defenders closing in, he threw a high, long pass to Saylor.
From there, Saylor took two dribbles, got to the middle of the key, and elevated for his shot.
Swish.
“How ironic. It was kind of like a football play,” Morgan said, referring to Saylor’s abilities as a wide receiver for the Union football team. “Mitch caught it and made a big play. That was crazy. I can’t believe it.”
It wasn’t over, though. There were 10 seconds left on the clock, and Lakes went to its go-to player, Andre Winston Jr., who dribbled to Union’s end, crossed over to his left, then launched a contested 3-pointer that came up short.
Speyer, who made three 3-pointers for Union, was just as strong on defense. He had a hand in Winston’s face for that last attempt.
“It looked like it was on line, but I didn’t think it had enough to get there,” Speyer said.
He was right.
But then again, just about everyone associated with Union’s basketball team was “right” on Friday night.
The Titans made their first four 3-pointers of the game and were 9 of 18 for the game. Four players reached double figures, led by Morgan. Speyer and Tanner Nelson, who also had three 3-pointers, scored 11 points, and Kyle Holmes was strong inside for 10 points. Saylor finished with nine points, including the two biggest of his career, and also had six assists.
This game was tense throughout. There were eight lead changes, including six in the second half.
Lakes took a five-point lead with 3:10 remaining in the game on a shot by Isaac Winston.
Holmes and Morgan made back-to-back baskets, then Saylor made the play-of-the-game-before-the-play-of-the-game with a steal and a fast-break lay-up with 1:45 left to give Union a 59-58 edge.
But Andre Winston Jr. responded just 10 seconds later to give Lakes the lead again. Two more free throws by the Lancers made it a three-point game.
Morgan scored and was fouled with 53 seconds left. After a timeout, he missed the free throw, setting up the dramatic two final defensive stops, sandwiching Saylor’s shot.
Prior to the tournament, Morgan and Speyer had two different goals. Morgan said he just wanted to enjoy the journey and have fun in his final week of high school basketball. Speyer said he wanted to play Saturday night at 7 p.m. — the championship game.
“We’re getting the best of both worlds,” Morgan said. “We’ve been having a great time, and this is where we’ve ended up.”
