Sumner knocks out defending state champion Gonzaga Prep with Lear’s game-winner, 60-59
Last week, Sumner won its first state tournament game in 49 years, beating Kentwood in the regional round to secure a spot in the Class 4A state tournament at the Tacoma Dome this week.
And the magic continued on Wednesday, with the Spartans knocking off defending state champion Gonzaga Prep, 60-59, to advance to Thursday’s quarterfinal round, with a matchup next against No. 2 seed Glacier Peak.
With under 25 seconds to go and Sumner trailing by two, Josh Lear — who had already hit a number of big shots in the game — ran off a screen on the inbounds play under the hoop and hit a corner 3-pointer to give Sumner the 60-59 lead, in what ultimately turned out to be the game-winning shot.
“We came out in the inbounds, saw we were down two,” Lear said. “I just set my feet and let it fly.”
Lear, not one for too many words, can let coach Jake Jackson do the talking on his behalf.
“We practice stack every day in practice,” Jackson said. “Josh Lear had that look in his eye, so I said, ‘Let’s get him on stack.’ He sprints to the dead corner on the right side for a three. That kid has put so much time in. That performance tonight, he’s eanred that in thousands of hours of putting time in. He’s a special kid.”
And then Sumner hung on for the win, with Gonzaga Prep’s Liam Lloyd — the son of Gonzaga University assistant Tommy Lloyd — seeing his shot miss the mark as time expired.
“I’m just proud of our guys,” Jackson said. “I’ve told them all year that we have the pieces, but, ‘Are you going to come together as a unit? And are you satisfied, or are you hungry still?’ We showed up. (Gonzaga Prep are) back-to-back state title winners. That coach has three state titles. He has some legit counters against our zone. Stuff that I hadn’t seen, ever.”
For Sumner, it’s been an upward trajectory since Jackson took over the program four years ago. In his first season, Sumner won just five games. Then 10 games, the next year. In the third year, 12 games. This year, Sumner boasts a 20-6 record and has won two state tournament games.
“The journey started my freshman year when I decided to come to Sumner,” Lear said. “We bought in. We were bad the first three years, but we just trusted the process and kept moving. It’s all about the culture. Having all players buy in, hold each other accountable. Accountability is big.”
Guard Lamar Campbell, a Division-I football prospect, had one of his best games in a Sumner uniform, scoring 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field.
“He’s dominated all year,” Jackson said.
Now Sumner, which finished third in the 4A SPSL this season, will look for its wild postseason run to continue Thursday against Glacier Peak.
“We’re built for this,” Jackson said. “We just have a special group.”
This story was originally published March 5, 2020 at 12:03 AM.
