Braves rout Friday Harbor boys, 73-57

Call them the Comeback Kids.

The La Conner Braves mounted two furious second half rallies in NW2B/1B boy’s hoops action last week, the second bringing a convincing 73-57 win at Friday Harbor Feb. 9 that secured top seeding at the Bi-District Tournament.

La Conner opened bi-district play at home Monday night opposite Northwest Christian of Lacey.They’re at Coupeville tonight (Wednesday) opposite either the host Wolves or Auburn Adventist.

The four-team, double elimination Bi-District format will send two teams to the state 2B tournament.

La Conner (14-6) significantly improved its odds of advancing to the state bracket with its Friday comeback at Friday Harbor. A loss there by the Braves would have given Coupeville the NW2B/1B title outright and with it the bi-district’s top seed.

Instead, La Conner and Coupeville will share the NW2B/1B crown with identical 7-1 conference marks and a split in their two-game season series. The Braves, by virtue of a previously agreed upon tiebreaker formula, were awarded the top seed and a first round home date.

Everything hinged on the second half at Friday Harbor, where La Conner trailed by double digits (37-26) at the break.

After falling behind 39-26 early in the third quarter, the Braves turned the game around with a suffocating full-court press that rattled a Friday Harbor team that had dominated the first half with pinpoint passing and clutch perimeter shooting.

La Conner’s 47-20 second half run began with a bucket by Brayden Pedroza off a feed from Tyler Cicotte. Ivory Damien followed with a score in transition.

Pedroza followed a Friday Harbor basket with a deep trey, a layup and a double-clutch dipsy-do shot in the paint.

That pulled La Conner to within 43-37. The Braves inched closer on a Damien steal and lay in.

A two-pointer by Corran Eisen and three straight free throws by Damien lifted La Conner on top 45-44. It was a lead the Braves wouldn’t relinquish. They continued to build upon it, surging to 55-45 at the end of the third quarter on a Cicotte putback and a Damien turnaround jumper.

The team scored in bunches, coasting the rest of the way. Their lead swelled to 16 points on baskets by Edwards and Eisen in the waning moments.

Pedroza paced La Conner with a game-high 30 points, 19 coming in the pivotal second half. Damien added 18, matching Pedroza with two three-pointers. Edwards finished with 15 points.

Eisen (8) and Cicotte (2) rounded out the Braves’ attack.

“Win, dance and advance,” said an elated first-year

coach Lance Lopez.

His elation last Friday stood in stark contrast to the disappointment felt the prior Tuesday when a La Conner comeback bid at home against Coupeville fell short.

The Wolves, who had lost 69-68 to La Conner earlier in the campaign, held on for a 65-55 victory at Landy James Gym.

Coupeville prevailed despite an amazing individual performance by Damien, who racked up 35 of his game-best 38 points in the second half as La Conner managed to trim a 15-point Wolves lead to single digits before fading at the finish.

Damien scored all 20 of La Conner’s points in the third quarter, hitting an array of perimeter treys and floaters in the key along with four free throws.

Damien knocked down eight three-pointers, four shots inside the trey arc and six of eight charity tosses.

Bi-district action continues at Coupeville this Friday (7 p.m.) to determine the Northwest 2B area’s second entry to state.

The first state berth will be clinched tonight when the winners of Monday’s games meet.