SHORELINE — The quick-strike offense that has flowed so freely for the Shoreline Christian boys basketball team during its 6-0 start to the season finally went belly-up during last weekend’s Oak Leaf Classic.
Shoreline Christian went from red-hot in an encouraging victory over Neah Bay to ice cold less than 24 hours later in the Dec. 20 championship game against King’s West.
The Crusaders shot 26 percent (15 of 58) from the field, made just three of their 24 attempts from 3-point range and watched their winning streak dissolve in a most unpleasant manner, as King’s West pulled off a 42-39 upset at Shoreline Christian School.
“That’s about the worst I’ve seen us shoot,” Shoreline Christian coach Adam Haulter said.
After securing a 12-7 lead 10 seconds into the second period, the Crusaders missed their next 13 shots. King’s West capitalized on the opening and went on an 11-0 run to seize a 20-15 halftime lead.
Shoreline Christian was 1-for-15 from the floor in the second quarter and missed all eight of its 3-point attempts in the first half.
“It just seemed like we were one step out of sync,” Haulter said. “For whatever reason the shots weren’t falling. We had a lot of them go all the way in and come back out. It’s frustrating.”
As poor as the Crusaders shot, they never trailed by more than seven. Shoreline Christian held the Warriors scoreless for the first 3:51 of the fourth quarter, setting up a down-to-the-wire finish.
“Our defensive pressure was probably as good as I’ve seen it,” Haulter said. “We were intense about getting to the ball and getting on the ball. They had some weapons that I don’t think hurt us as much as they’ve hurt other people.”
The Crusaders (6-1 overall) managed to regain a 32-31 advantage with 4:22 remaining on a Grant Brandal putback that capped a 6-0 spurt.
King’s West charged ahead for good by scoring the next seven points, but Shoreline Christian had two chances to tie the score or take the lead in the final minute.
On both occasions, Garth Brandal rattled 3-pointers off the rim. Point guard Tim Gunderson missed another 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have forced overtime.
Garth Brandal was held to a season-low 13 points for the Crusaders, Geoff Jabobs added nine and Gunderson and Grant Brandal each finished with seven.
“They did a great job defensively against us,” Haulter said. “They really befuddled us.”
Mostly, the Crusaders befuddled themselves. In the fourth quarter, Shoreline Christian was 2-for-13 from behind the arc and missed eight straight shots during one stretch.
Shoreline Christian’s 39 points were by far a season-low. In their six wins, the Crusaders averaged 67.7 points per game.
“We’re not a team that wants to play in the 30s and 40s,” Haulter said. “We want to play in the 60s and 70s.”
Behind Gunderson’s career-high 36 points and Garth Brandal’s 29, Shoreline Christian outlasted Neah Bay 73-65 Dec. 19 to open the four-team tournament.
“They run kind of a scatter attack and they’re very high energy,” Haulter said of the Red Devils.
The Crusaders started the season by posting wins over a trio of Class 1A schools and Seattle Lutheran and Evergreen Lutheran.
Shoreline Christian hosts Riverside Christian of Yakima Jan. 3 before opening Northwest B League play Jan. 6 at home against Mount Vernon Christian.
“We’re not playing any slackers right now. We’re playing a lot of 1A teams and a lot of the best of the crop of B’s,” Haulter said. “I’m not sure we’ve put a full game together yet, but up to this point we’ve been able to overcome a lot of what’s been thrown at us.”
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