It might not have been the game-winning shot, but it was definitely a nail in the coffin.
With a little over two minutes left in No. 10 Auburn Mountainview’s loser-out, winner-to-state girls basketball game against South Puget Sound League 3A rival Lakes (18-7), junior Erika Lombardo found herself behind the 3-point arc with the shot clock running out.
“They were all counting down, and once I heard ‘four’ I decided I was shooting it,” Lombardo said. “So I just popped up and shot it. I’m not the best shooter on the team. If I would have missed it, that would have been bad.”
Despite hitting only 3-of-20 from 3-point range this season, Lombardo knew the second the shot left her fingers that it was going in.
The clutch shot put the Lions up 38-32 and allowed them to post a 44-38 victory over the Lancers at Lakewood.
Lombardo finished with 10 points in the game, with teammate Cait Carr adding a team-high 17. Aalia Braboy had 14 points, and Hattie Kosko chipped in with 11 rebounds.
Auburn Mountainview (20-7) advances to the state 3A tournament round of 16, with a loser-out contest against No. 6 Lynnwood (20-4) at 4 p.m. today at Marysville-Pilchuck High School. A win will put the Lions in a winner-to-state, loser-out game at 1 p.m. Saturday against either Mercer Island (17-11) or Glacier Peak (14-9) at Marysville-Pilchuck.
ALSO: The No. 4-ranked Auburn boys basketball team plays No. 3 Jackson in the first round of the state 4A tournament at 9:15 p.m. today at Jackson High School in Mill Creek. The winner advances to the semifinals and a 9 a.m. game next Thursday at the Tacoma Dome. The loser faces the winner of the Kentridge vs. Arlington game in a loser-out, winner-to-the-semifinals showdown at 3 p.m. Saturday at Jackson. …
The No. 1 Auburn Riverside (21-4) girls play No. 5 Edmonds-Woodway (22-4) in a loser-out game at 4 p.m. today at Jackson High School. The winner will advance to a loser-out, winner-to-state game against either Kentwood (19-6) or Lake Stevens (20-3) at 1 p.m. Saturday at Jackson.