TACOMA — It was a blip in the annals of history and yet it will live forever, a 19-second span that was years in the making.
But let us not get ahead of ourselves. For as with any worthy fairy tale, the best place to start is at the beginning. And for the purposes of this story, that means the Union boys basketball team is trailing Lakes of Lakewood by one point in the final seconds of a semifinal game at the Class 3A state tournament.
That’s when Union junior Caleb Whalen got his hands on a rebound and clutched it like it was a diamond.
“I’m thinking, ‘I’ve got to get the ball to Chris Morgan,’ ” Whalen said. “He’s been our man all year, hit a lot of buzzer-beaters.”
Whalen threw an outlet pass to Morgan, a pinball of a 5-foot-10 senior who is the Titans’ leading scorer. Morgan headed toward the midcourt line, only to find himself running into a trap of a defense.
“I needed to have the ball in that situation,” Morgan said. “But just because I had the ball doesn’t mean I have to take the final shot.
“You would think in that situation they would drop back, protect the paint.”
But with the double-team, Union senior Mitch Saylor was left open downcourt at the free throw line extended. Morgan rose above the defenders and found the 6-foot-6 senior.
Saylor caught the ball, took two dribbles into the paint, and sank a short shot over a defender.
“There’s no way I could have missed,” Saylor said. “I had to make that. It was about 6 feet out; that’s about my range.”
About 10 seconds remained. Just enough time for Lakes’ André Winston Jr., to attempt a 3-pointer.
“It seemed like that last shot took 10 seconds to get to the rim,” Morgan said. “It’s like one of those things you see in the movies in slow motion. It was just floating and floating.”
And then it hit the rim. Final: Union 63, Lakes 62. Result: The Titans, the nine-loss Titans, the gutty and gritty and moxie-filled Titans are going to play for a state championship.
It’s difficult to imagine the emotions of those final seconds. Difficult to describe the razor-thin line that had Union players leaping into each other’s arms at center court while the Lakes players walked to the locker room in tears.
But for Union coach Maco Hamilton, the difference was forged over hours of practice and years of effort.
“Do I call timeout? Do I let them go?” Hamilton said, recalling his thinking when his team gained control of the ball. “That’s the way we play.. I couldn’t take it out of their hands. That’s three years of experience. What you saw the last 19 seconds was us in our comfort zone.”
That, perhaps, is the most remarkable aspect of Union’s remarkable run through three games at the state tournament. The Titans turn basketball into controlled chaos, into a non-stop, full-court Blitzkrieg.
And in the final seconds of a scintillating state semifinal game, they managed to act as though they were at a midseason practice.
Years from now, the tale will grow in stature. Whalen will tell his grandkids how he fought off a pair of 7-footers to grab the rebound. Morgan will say he had three defenders grabbing his arms as he made the pass. Saylor’s 6-footer will move to just inside the 3-point line.
That’s how fairy tales work, isn’t it? But for now, the reality of being in the state championship game is stunning enough.
Greg Jayne is Sports editor of The Columbian. He can be reached at 360-735-4531, or by e-mail at greg.jaynecolumbian.com. To read his blog, go to columbian.com/weblogs/GregJayne
