Cardiac Kids Do it Again – Edmonds is headed to the Final Four

PASCO, Wash. — Edmonds (20-11, 9-5) mounted another thrilling second half comeback to edge Lane (15-15, 9-7) 73-72 and notch their spot in the Final Four for the first time since 2015. With 11 seconds remaining and down two points, Sebastian Cooper tipped an inbounds pass that kicked to Avidan West, and for the second consecutive night, West slashed to the lane and scored what ended up being the game-winning bucket with just five seconds left. 

Much like Thursday's tilt, Friday's game followed the same script. The Titans got off to the better start and controlled the first half, holding Edmonds to 39% shooting from the field and led 36-29 at halftime. But the second half surge showed up again. Isaiah Lopez's three-ball injected life into the team and narrowed the Titan advantage to 44-38, and Kyrylo Kapinos followed that with one of his two blocks. Although they continued to trail, the offense stayed aggressive as the fouls slowly piled up for the Titans. 

At the 13:04 mark Kapinos took a key charge as the Tritons began to win the hustle plays and loose balls. Karan Makhar only totaled 3 rebounds but they were all in clutch moments. Kapinos first flush cut the Titan lead to just two points (46-44) and the two squads went blow for blow the rest of the way. Sam Lockhart's step back three-pointer, one of three for the sophomore in the game, gave Edmonds it's first lead at 47-46. Lopez converted two and-1's late into the second half, and West had one of his own that put EdC ahead 67-66.  

With just 30 seconds remaining and down 68-67 the officials called a ball out of bounds on Edmonds. Coach Kyle Gray elected to take a timeout and challenged the call. After review the call was overturned and West followed with an offensive putback to take the lead, 69-68. Lane responded with a three-pointer, then hit one of two free throws, but Kapinos came right back down the hardwood and slammed one home. Lane had trouble inbounding the ball from the baseline and with 11 seconds left on the clock, Cooper's dramatic defensive effort set up the winning bucket from West.

Kapinos led the Tritons with 24 points, West contributed 13 points and dished out six assists, and Lockhart recorded five assists to go with his 3 three-pointers. Lopez scored 11 points and collected four rebounds.

Edmonds is the lowest remaining seed, joining Bellevue (North #1), Skagit Valley (North #2), and Lower Columbia (East #2). Their Final Four matchup is against a very familiar foe in the Skagit Valley Cardinals – a team they lost to twice this year in region play. The Cardinals ran away from their opponents in Pasco, defeating Columbia Basin 91-58 and Centralia 91-52.

The Tritons will look to pull off their third straight upset on Friday at 2 p.m. The NWAC Championship game is on Sunday, March 15 at noon. The Final Four is being held back in Pasco, WA at Columbia Basin College.

Watch Avidan West's postgame interview (Thursday) | Watch Kyrylo Kapinos's postgame interview (Friday)

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