Arlington shocks Kentwood with fourth quarter comeback

“It’s hard to understand the value of the moment, until it becomes a memory.”

Head Coach Blake Solomon told his group that quote after being eliminated from the state tournament 57-56 at Auburn High School on March 1.

The Conks’ season ended earlier than many would have imagined, including all 17 players and coaches in the locker room.

“They came in when our program was not where it is now. The saying, ‘leaving something better than you found it,’ they epitomized that,” Solomon said. “When we look back, the stuff they did the last four years and especially the last two. They did a really good job.”

Kentwood fell in dramatic fashion to Arlington High School in the opening round of the 4A state basketball tournament.

“It’s sad and heartbreaking, I love this team and this program. They have done a lot for me. It was a really tough loss,” senior Mason St. Louis said.

The Conks were leading 51-40 in the fourth quarter with around 5 minutes left in the game. Arlington then proceeded to go on a 14-0 run to tie and eventually take the lead at 54-51 with 2:14 left in the game.

“We just tried to stick together and we had a big shot at the end. But it just didn’t go our way,” St. Louis said.

Kentwood’s Brandon Tagle made a pair of free throws to get the game within one, and Corey Tita then threw up a hesitation mid-air three-pointer with the clock winding down following two made Arlington free throws. Tita tied the game at 54-54 with 3.6 seconds left in the game, and coming out of a timeout, Kentwood just needed to avoid a foul to go to overtime.

Aaron Ton proceeded to get a piece of Leyton Martin and give Arlington a golden opportunity to win the game. Martin went one of two from the line, and Tagle’s three-quarter court heave came up empty. Ton and the Conks were crushed to be so close and up late in the game, and falling apart was a hard pill to swallow. Ton, a senior, had already been through so much just to be eligible to play for Solomon and the Conks.

“He was trying to make a play for his team. They’re kids and sometimes they make mistakes. He was hurting in the locker room and very apologetic. But he’s got nothing to apologize for — everybody made mistakes today and wishes they had possessions they could get back,” Solomon said.

“When it happens with one second left, it’s hard to move on from. I still love him and what he has done for us and had to go through. I’m really proud of him,” Solomon added.

But as the adage goes, games aren’t decided by one play. Kentwood struggled with offensive consistency all afternoon. After leading 9-4 early, Arlington found their way back into the game, and at the end of the first quarter, Kentwood led by a single point, 13-12.

What got Kentwood going in the second quarter was some solid production from senior Mason St. Louis. The lefty had seven points and made the game’s first three-pointer in the second quarter. St. Louis helped Kentwood take a 27-19 lead at halftime, and Kentwood quietly was pulling away from the Eagles.

The third quarter was more of the same from Kentwood, which was just responding to anything Arlington could throw at them. Eagles make a basket, then Kentwood responds with one of their own. The Conks headed to the fourth quarter with a 45-36 lead.

A season ago, Kentwood was the number eight seed in the state and finished fourth overall. This year the Conks’ inconsistency cost them a trip to the Dome, which was unexpected for a team as talented as Kentwood was this year.

“I think we present a lot of problems for a lot of teams. I think if we got there (Tacoma Dome) next week we could have made some noise. But it just wasn’t in the cards,” Solomon said.

Kentwood was outscored in the fourth quarter, 21-11, and it took a boost from the Arlington bench to get them over the hump. The Conks just couldn’t find a response.

“They put in a kid who hadn’t played the entire first half and he hits two threes. When you enter the arena of competition, anything can happen. Their guys made some shots and they dug in,” Solomon said.

Tagle, Jacob Bail and Caleb Ross are going to be the big three for Kentwood moving forward. St. Louis believes that the way this season ended, and with the help from himself and Tita, they can succeed next year.

“Since they came in, we were able to show them what Kentwood and this program is about. Now it’s all in their hands and I hope they are able to continue what we built,” St. Louis said.

Brandon Tagle heads for the basket against Arlington. Ben Ray / The Reporter