Joseph’s game-winner sends Mount Tahoma past Gig Harbor, into 3A state regionals
With about four minutes to go, it looked like it might not just be in the cards for the Mount Tahoma High School boys basketball team on the road against Gig Harbor on Saturday night in the Class 3A West Central/Southwest bi-district tournament quarterfinals.
But the T-Birds mounted a ferocious comeback in the game’s waning minutes, coming away with a buzzer-beating, 61-59 win. Here’s what we learned from Mount Tahoma’s victory, which clinches a spot for the program in the state tournament regional round for the first time since 2006.
JOSH JOSEPH CALLS GAME
Mount Tahoma’s best player, sophomore Asjon Anderson, was fouled out of the game prior to the team’s final possession. He would have been the natural candidate to take the final shot, but in his absence, Mount Tahoma coach Jason Townsend turned to senior guard Josh Joseph, with the game knotted, 59-59, with 7.5 seconds to go.
And Joseph delivered, taking the inbounds pass at half court before quickly driving the hole and throwing up a floater in the lane over a defender and off the glass to seal the win as time expired.
“After I swung through, I saw the lane was open and just took it all the way,” Joseph said. “It was surreal, a dream almost. I couldn’t hear anything. It was just buzzing everywhere.”
It came just after Gig Harbor lost possession, when freshman guard Christian Parrish dribbled the ball of his foot and out of bounds.
“I think he was just looking ahead,” said Gig Harbor coach Billy Landram.
Townsend said he had faith in his senior guard to deliver the T-Birds the win.
“He’s a terrific talent,” he said. “Sometimes, we have to channel it in different ways. I told him, ‘We’ll get you back in.’ The game was getting close and I said, ‘Josh, it’s your time. Go get us this win.’ He got in there, got a couple stops and got the game-winning shot. He deserved that.”
Mount Tahoma was down by 11 with just over four minutes to go, when the T-Birds went into a frantic full-court press and forced some turnovers from the Tides.
“They had trouble getting the ball up the floor, made a lot of turnovers that they normally don’t make, gave us opportunities to score,” Townsend said.
And Gig Harbor struggled to make free throws down the stretch.
“It was tough,” Landram said. “We couldn’t get a stop at the end. They did a good job and made free throws. We had a good chance to close it out, missed free throws.”
ASJON ANDERSON KEEPS HITTING BIG SHOTS
The sophomore guard scored 29 points in the win and hit several key shots down the stretch for the T-Birds. Townsend challenged Anderson to bring more on both ends of the floor in the final quarter, and Anderson responded.
“I played him a lot this game, more than normal,” Townsend said. “He hit some big shots, made some big passes. He’s a terrific player, a terrific point guard. He’s terrific. He’s way beyond his years.”
Landram said Anderson is one of the best guards the team has faced this season.
“He’s really good,” Landram said. “Hit tough shots, made free throws. He’s cool, calm and collected. He’s got a bright future.”
MOUNT TAHOMA TO STATE FOR FIRST TIME IN 14 YEARS
With the win, Mount Tahoma is guaranteed a spot in the state tournament regional round, and will finish out district tournament play for a chance at the top seed heading into state.
“It means a lot,” Joseph said. “Honestly, it brings confidence back into the program. People are starting to believe in us again, show us love. It’s great. Everyone has been showing a lot of love lately. They see we’re winning so they don’t really have a choice.”
Townsend, who has worked hard to rebuild the program and its culture, said he’s proud of the players.
“It means everything to me, but not for me,” Townsend said. “For the players. They’ve worked extremely hard. These guys haven’t had that success. For me to see them celebrating in the locker room and on the floor, that’s the most awesome thing to me. So I’m proud of them. This is all about them and their hard work. Their families have come out and supported them. It’s awesome to see the support we’re getting from our school and our community.”
