Lopez boys experience the highs — and lows — of playoff basketball

The Lopez boys had a week that was both exhilirating and heartbreaking, as they found out those postseason wins are sweeter, and the losses more bitter.

Lopez won its playoff opener in grand style Feb. 12, coming from seven points down late to beat an undefeated Lummi squad 48-47. Che Silkiss-Hero lived up to his name, scoring a career-high 10 points, grabbing a critical offensive rebound in the waning seconds with the score tied, then hitting a game-winning free throw to pull the game out.

Lopez followed up this thrilling win with an equally exciting, but heartbreaking, loss Friday to 21-1 Cedar Park Christian, the No. 4-ranked B Class team in the state. The Lobos lost the Tri-District Tournament opener 55-48, but they were down only 49-48 with 1:07 left to play. The Lobos’ tireless defense kept them in this game, but in the end, their shooting struggles from the floor cost them dearly.

“The most disappointing thing is that they played their hearts out” against Cedar Park Christian, said Lopez co-coach Debbie Buffum.

The Lobo boys had to try and gather themselves after this loss, as they had to play their league rival, Shoreline Christian, Saturday, in a Tri-District second-round loser-out contest. Shoreline Christian beat the Lobos twice earlier this season (though one loss was overturned because Shoreline used an ineligible player), and beat Lopez again 69-57. That loss ended the Lobos’ playoff run. Debbie Buffum said the boys were just “physically and emotionally drained” after the Cedar Park Christian heartbreaker the day before..

The third quarter has been the Lobos Achilles’ heel all season, and again, that third stanza came back to bite Lopez. The Lobos were behind only seven points at the half, but were put hopelessly in the hole by being outscored 24-7 in the third.

Still, the two disappointing losses can’t take away what the Lobos accomplished this season. They made their first trip to Tri-District in several years and won a playoff game. “we had a very good season. We wanted to get to Tri-District, and getting to Tri-District wasn’t easy,” said Debbie Buffum.

Lummi win

This was the Lobos game of the yea. Lummi was a difficult team to size up heading into this game. The Blackhawks were undefeated, but at the same time, this squad had only played 10 games all year, all against other small B schools, or junior varsity squads.

Debbie Buffum said the Blackhawks’ speed did give Lopez problems. “We didn’t match up speedwise with them at all,” she said. “Our defense kept us in the that game.” The Lobos held the Blackhawks to only four points in the fourth quarter.

Silkiss-Hero hit two three-pointers in the third quarter to help keep Lopez close, but late in the fourth, the Blackhawks had a daunting 47-40 lead with only a few minutes left. Jason Buffum, who led all scorers with 16, hit a three-pointer to begin the comeback.

Rick Lartz hit two free throws with under two minutes left to make it 47-45. Then on a missed shot, Jason Buffum grabbed a couple offensive rebounds, and on his third try, hit a two-pointer to tie it at 47-47 with a minute left.

Lummi held the ball for a final shot after Silkiss-Hero’s free throw, but Lopez’s swarming defense didn’t give the Blackhawks any chances for a good shot and the Lobos held on for the win.

Cedar Park Christian loss

Lopez in many ways outplayed Cedar Park Christian, and much like their island counterparts from Orcas, came darn close to playing giant killer, playing a highly ranked opponent right down to the wire.

The Lobos played tenacious defense and pounded the boards against their bigger opponents (four-fifths of Cedar Park Christian’s starting five was 6-1 or taller). Morgan Kashuk in particular was an animal on the boards, grabbing 10 rebounds on the day.

Jason Buffum struggled from the floor along with the rest of his teammates, but he made up for it by making some excellent passes, especially in the first half. He ended up with eight assists, seven of them in the first half. The game was close throughout, with nine ties. The score was 22-21 for Cedar Park Christian at the end of the half, and 35-33 for CPC at the end of the third period.

Three free throws from Buffum cut a four-point CPC lead down to only 48-47 with 1:20 left. Lopez got several shots down the stretch, but just couldn’t get one to drop. CPC hit its free throws in the final minute for the final margin.

Jason Buffum led the way with 19 points and nine steals, while Rick Lartz had 17 points.

Against Shoreline Christian, Lartz led the team with 22 points, while Jason Buffum had 17. Garth Brandal for the Crusaders scored 31 points in that game.

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