MARYSVILLE — It worked out just like the Stanwood boys basketball team drew it up.
With four seconds remaining in overtime and a Wesco 3A North title on the line, the Spartans got the ball to Karsten Chaplik.
Chaplik took care of the rest.
The senior caught a pass with about a second on the clock, spun toward the hoop and tossed up a deep 3-point shot that swished through the net to give Stanwood a 69-66 win over Marysville Pilchuck in overtime Tuesday night at Marysville Pilchuck High School.
“It actually is what we drew up. Remarkably, it is,” Stanwood head coach Zach Ward said. “We wanted the ball in his hands. He got a great look at the end of the fourth. We drew something up for it and we didn’t quite get it. He got it the second time around.
“He’s one of those kids that kind of lives for those moments. He likes that stuff. He’s the one in practice that always wants the last shot.”
Wow. @KarstenChaplik hits a 3 at the buzzer in OT to give Stanwood a 69-66 win over MP and a Wesco 3A North title. pic.twitter.com/aJ65gA175a
— David Krueger (@Krueger_David) February 11, 2015
Chaplik finished with 29 points but it was his final three that put Stanwood ahead for good. The 6-foot-4 wing throws up shots like that in practice just in case.
Tuesday night made Chaplik’s effort worthwhile.
“I looked up at the clock and saw that there was a little over one second left so I just took a dribble and fired away,” Chaplik said. “In practice we do a lot of end-game situations so we know how much time is on the clock and how many dribbles we get. It was huge to clinch the title.”
The game had a playoff feel from the start, with both sides rallying to keep the game close. Stanwood took a slim 33-29 lead going into halftime, and opened up an 11-point lead in the second half.
But the Tomahawks continued to rally. Marysville Pilchuck senior Michael Painter, who had a game-high 30 points, made a fadeaway jumper with 3:22 to go in regulation to give the Tomahawks their first lead since the opening quarter.
“I feel like our guys are really poised, especially for having not been in these situations very often,” said Marysville Pilchuck head coach Bary Gould. “They executed our stuff to perfection.”
The two teams remained close throughout the final minutes of the fourth quarter and overtime. Marysville Pilchuck’s Nate Heckendorf appeared to make the game-winning layin with 6.9 seconds to go but was called for a charge, sending the game to extra time.
Neither team led by more than two in the overtime period until Chaplik’s buzzer beater clinched the game and the regular-season league title.
“I think I’m different now, as a coach, than I was maybe even last year,” Ward said. “I think the kids need to see me in a calm state. And I really try to do that. I’m emotional, and I’m in the moment, but they battled through some adversity there in the fourth quarter. Things didn’t go our way. That was our message in all those timeouts: Just keep battling and keep battling. If you’re going to preach that to the kids you better do it and you better sell it.
“I’m probably not going to sleep much tonight.”
It was the second time this season the Spartans prevailed over Marysville Pilchuck. Stanwood (10-0 league, 16-4 overall) defeated the Tomahawks 65-49 on Jan. 22. Both could meet again in the upcoming 3A District 1 tournament, which gets underway Saturday. Stanwood will be the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament and the Tomahawks will be the third.
“It’s super fun. Obviously, you’d like to come out on the other side of it,” Gould said. “Our guys battled all the way to the end. They had to hit a miracle NBA-3-pointer to win it in overtime. It’s one of those situations where it’s high school basketball. … Hopefully, a couple games from now we’ll get to see them again.”
The win was the 11th consecutive for Stanwood. The Spartans have not lost in 2015, with their last loss coming in a non-league game against Union on Dec. 30.
“I’m proud of what this team has become since December,” Ward said. “People in December probably didn’t think we would be league champs. It’s a testament to the kids in that locker room that just kept battling and battling and battling and battling.”
AJ Martinka scored 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds and five steals for Stanwood. Senior Skout Roberson had nine points and six rebounds and Chaplik added nine rebounds to go along with his 29 points.
“Our approach tonight was the playoffs start tonight,” Ward said. “It’s a heck of a way to start the playoffs.”
Josh Bevan scored 13 points for Marysville Pilchuck (8-2, 15-5), including one 3-pointer midway through the fourth quarter nearly from Stanwood. Bryce Juneau added 11 points and Heckendorf grabbed 13 rebounds for the Tomahawks, who were led by the senior Painter.
“I don’t think it’s going to be tough for us to get motivated to go to districts,” Gould said. “It’s one of those where, it doesn’t really feel like a loss. We’ve had wins that don’t feel as good as this loss. They beat us by a bunch up at their place. We’ve been getting better and better and obviously we tested ourselves against the best in our league and we’re right there.”
At Marysville Pilchuck H.S.
Stanwood 16 17 17 11 8 —69
Marysville Pilchuck 16 13 16 16 5 —66
Stanwood—AJ Martinka 12, Quinton Borseth 4, Bryson Kelley 9, Austin Wilhonen 2, Chase Strieby 0, Cameron Plautz 2, Carlton McDonald 2, Karsten Chaplik 29, Skout Roberson 9. Marysville Pilchuck—Bryce Juneau 11, Josh Bevan 13, Bryce Vitcovich 2, Michael Painter 30, Cole Grinde 7, Zach Verge 0, Aaron Herrera 0, Nate Heckendorf 3. 3-point goals—Kelley 1, Chaplik 3, Bevan 3, Painter 3, Grinde 1. Records—Stanwood 10-0 league, 16-4 overall. Marysville Pilchuck 8-2, 15-5.
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