The collective sigh of relief coming from the Oak Harbor High School gymnasium Friday night may have challenged that of recent wind gusts on the Island.
Not only did the Wildcats pull out a close 63-61 win over Marysville-Pilchuck, but they gained their first victory of the season, breaking a seven game losing streak in the process.
“It just feels like a big rock lifted off your chest,” senior guard Austin Fulgham said.
Fulgham was an integral part of the Cats’ late-game success, coming up with three huge plays in the final 12 seconds.
With a 62-61 Oak Harbor lead and 11.8 seconds remaining, Fulgham suddenly found himself in a familiar spot on the defensive end of a three-on-one fast break.
After holding his defensive position and taking a hard hit in the third quarter, Fulgham was called for the blocking foul. With the game on the line in the fourth quarter he decided to try it again.
Tomahawk senior Mariel Crews drove into the lane on almost an identical play from the third quarter, plowing into Fulgham. This time the play went in the Wildcats’ favor as Fulgham received the charging call.
“It was worth a busted lip,” Fulgham said. “I made sure I waited for a long time to take that charge.”
Head coach Bryan Schulle was also impressed by Fulgham’s effort.
“It took a lot of bravery to try it again,” Schulle said. “That’s a senior, that’s the kind of stuff we’ve been looking for.”
On the ensuing play after an inbounded pass, Fulgham was fouled. He went on to hit one of two free throws, giving the Cats a 63-61 advantage.
With 5.5 seconds remaining and no timeouts, the Tomahawks grabbed the rebound off the missed free throw and ran the distance of the court. Instead of attempting to tie the game, Marysville senior Dominic Vandaveer pulled up for a three-point shot that could have won the game.
Out of nowhere, Fulgham came leaping in to block the shot, sending the crowd into a frenzy and securing the first win of the season for the Cats.
“I don’t know if I’m a big fan of him trying to jump up and block the shot on the three, but you know, what the heck?” Schulle said. “I’ll take it.”
From the first quarter on, it was evident the Wildcats came to play. They were able to build a 22-14 lead after the first quarter due in large part to accurate three-point shooting.
Seniors Jake White and Mike Lacey along with junior Jeremy Brown all knocked down three point shots, hitting a combined six of nine in the first quarter.
“The kids did a great job,” Schulle said. “We knew it had to happen sooner or later.”
After Oak Harbor built its largest lead of the game 28-14 in the opening minute of the second quarter, the Tomahawks went on a 12-point run to pull within two at halftime.
The game then turned into a back-and-forth battle, which saw a total of twenty lead changes.
“It was a great high school basketball game,” Schulle said. “To get it was very rewarding to our kids.”
White ended the game shooting a stellar 8 of 12 from the three-point line including a clutch three-pointer in the final minutes of the contest. He led the team in scoring with 24 points, all of which came from three-pointers.
“I just felt good,” White said. “I guess my shot was on, I don’t know?”
Brown ended the game with 13 points, Fulgham had 12, while senior Jon Jansen added 10.
With their first win under their belts, the Wildcats seem to have a renewed sense of confidence.
“We’re only 1-3 (in league), so that’s not bad,” White said. “I think we can make a playoff run.”
After a series of tough league games against WesCo North favorites Snohomish and Stanwood, Oak Harbor hopes to revive its record playing teams from the middle of the pack.
“We’ve got two beatable teams coming up in Lake Stevens and Cascade,” Schulle said.
Up next is Cascade at 7:30 p.m. Friday Jan. 10 at Oak Harbor.
Oak Harbor—22 8 14 19—63
Marysville— 14 14 15 18—61
Scoring—OH: White 24, Brown 13, Fulgham 12, Jansen 10, Lacey 3, Raimundi 1.
MP: Harris 23, Gill 13, Crews 10, Kehler 9, VanDaveer 6.
Records: Oak Harbor 1-3 league, 1-7 overall, Marysville 2-2 league, 4-4 overall.
