After three straight seasons of losing in the semifinals, Lakes is not just in the championship game this season. The Lancers are Class 3A champions after a 71-56 victory Saturday night over Bellevue in the Tacoma Dome, which had been their house of horrors the previous three years.
After Three Straight Semifinal Losses, Lakes Breaks Through With 3A Title
Junior forward Nate Guy scored 22 points to lead Lakes (24-3). Senior guard Isaac Winston had 19 points for Lakes. Zach Banner, a 6-8, 300-pound junior center who is a high-profile football recruit at offensive tackle, scored 15.
Bellevue (24-6) was trying to win football and basketball state championships in the same season. Bellevue received a big-time performance from its best player, senior forward Nate Sikma, son of former Seattle SuperSonic star Jack Sikma. Nate Sikma scored 28 points, but it wasn’t enough.
Lakes, a school in Lakewood, a town just outside of Tacoma, led only 33-32 at halftime but went on an 11-0 run in third quarter and led 53-42 after three quarters on a miraculous shot from behind the backboard by Cedric Dozier.
A Bellevue comeback helped cut a 13-point deficit to 59-54, but Lakes made its free throws down the stretch and scored 12 of the final 14 points in the contest.
- Story by Wescott Eberts
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