Ron Charrier has believed in Eric Smith all season long, often praising his 5-foot-10 guard for bringing a calming influence to the Kentlake High boys basketball team.
Smith, a junior, put that calm demeanor on display Friday night at the ShoWare Center in Kent. And, in the process, lifted the Falcons past Kent-Meridian 66-63 in overtime in a key South Puget Sound League North Division game.
It was Kentlake’s fifth straight win, a streak which was then snapped on Saturday in a 93-52 loss to top-ranked Federal Way.
The win against the Royals proved key for the Falcons. Kentlake trailed K-M 56-53 with 13 seconds remaining in regulation, when Smith nailed a 3-pointer from the top of the key, breathing life into a Falcon team that had trailed all night.
Ignited by Smith’s 3-pointer, Kentlake proceeded to outscore Kent-Meridian 10-7 in overtime to seal the win.
How big was Smith’s shot?
Kentlake not only trailed the entire night up until his late shot, but also had to come back from a 46-37 deficit late in the third quarter.
Smith finished with 14 points.
“Eric’s the reason we got going because we came out really slow,” Charrier said. “Eric was our ballhandler. He was the reason they couldn’t press us.”
Sid Verma paced Kent-Meridian (1-12, 1-14) with 14 points.
The win saved Kentlake (6-8 in league, 7-9 overall) from falling behind Auburn Riverside (6-8, 9-9) for the fifth-and-final playoff berth from the SPSL North.
“This keeps our season alive,” Charrier said. “If we would’ve lost, our season would’ve likely been over.”
Auburn Riverside went on to lose to Jefferson (6-9, 7-11) on Saturday 61-58, thus creating a tie between the Ravens and Falcons for the final playoff berth.
Kentlake travelled to Auburn Riverside on Tuesday (results unavailable at press time). If the Falcons and Ravens finish the season in a two-way tie, a tie-breaker would be played on Tuesday.
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