Issaquah knocks out Woodinville girls | KingCo 4A Basketball

KIRKLAND — Issaquah girls basketball coach Kathy Gibson thought something had to give.

Along with the charge of guarding Woodinville's Ali Forde, Issaquah's Blaire Brady also had to be a factor on offense, as well.

"We were asking her to defend their go-to player. At the same time we needed her on the offensive end," Gibson said. "Can you really give that kind of effort all game long?"

The answer was a resounding yes.

Brady slowed Woodinville's leading scorer and had a game-high 16 points in Issaquah's 45-38 victory Tuesday in a loser-out KingCo 4A tournament game at Juanita High School.

"I was excited, nervous, all the emotions," Brady said. "The opportunity to guard such a good player, it was a good challenge."

Issaquah (19-4) plays Eastlake in another loser-out game at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Juanita, with the survivor facing a Southwest Washington opponent for a state-tournament berth.

The loss ended the season for Woodinville (20-3), which was ranked No. 2 in the state last week. The Falcons, coming off a loss to Newport, finished with two straight defeats.

Issaquah led by eight at halftime, thanks largely to its ability to neutralize Forde, who was fronted on each possession and limited to two first-half points.

"Blaire is our best defender," Gibson said. "Blaire did her job on the front end and the girls were there for help. It was a great effort on (Blaire's) part and great team defense, too."

Forde scored 10 in the second half, helping Woodinville cut its deficit to one.

With the Eagles up by three with 43 seconds left, Brady drove to the basket and drew a foul on Forde, her fifth. She left with 12 points and 15 rebounds.

"(Forde) is going to score," Gibson said. "I don't know how many she ended up with but I know she had to work hard for every basket."

Forde's last foul put Brady on the line, and the junior guard made a pair of free throws to seal the win.

Mackenzie Schiltz scored 10 for Issaquah. Melissa Gilkey added 12 for Woodinville.

Other girls game

Eastlake 56, Lake Washington 37 (loser out)

Alyssa Charlston scored 16, Kendra Morrison had 13 and the Wolves used a big second quarter to oust the Kangs (11-12). Eastlake (14-9) plays Issaquah Thursday in a loser-out game.

Boys games

Eastlake 65, Garfield 62 (loser out)

Michael Russo's 27 points helped Eastlake (15-8) stay alive and knock out Garfield (17-6). The Wolves play Bothell in another loser-out game Thursday. With 21 seconds left, Eastlake's Connor Iraola stripped Glenn Brooks of the ball and was fouled. Iraola made both free throws, and Brooks' last-second, 70-foot heave bounced off the backboard. Brooks scored 25 for the Bulldogs, who lost for the first time in three games against Eastlake this season.

Bothell 46, Woodinville 44 (loser out)

The Cougars (12-11) never led until Oliver Hurtin's layup with two seconds left gave them a win. Dominic Ballard's three-point play for Bothell tied the score at 44 with 1:38 remaining. Ballard scored 19 points. Maxx Forde scored 13 for Woodinville (14-9), which beat Bothell in two previous meetings.