(WSB photos by Patrick Sand)

Despite a thrilling fourth-quarter comeback, the West Seattle High School boys’ first game in the state 3A tournament was also their last game of the season, a 60-56 loss to Tacoma’s Lincoln High School this afternoon at Bellevue College. The Wildcats fell behind midway through the first quarter; they trailed the Abes 14-6 after the first quarter, 31-18 at halftime. But WSHS came out fighting for the second half, opening with a three-pointer by #2, sophomore Sully Janiwade. They shaved Lincoln’s lead down to five points twice before the third quarter ended, with back-to-back baskets by #0, junior Alex Pierce:

He was West Seattle’s top scorer for the day, with 15. Second-highest for the Wildcats was #3, senior Bo Gionet, who contributed the first two points of the fourth quarter, bringing them within three of Lincoln:

Half a minute later, #23, senior Pawlose Aschalew, cut the Abes’ lead to one, and followed that basket with a three-pointer, giving WSHS the lead, 47-45, with six and a half minutes left in the game.

The two teams alternated leads and ties until about the two-minute mark, and WSHS fans were on their feet:

But those last two minutes were filled with missed opportunities, and when two foul shots put Lincoln up by four with :14 to go, victory was out of range. The Wildcats finish the season 16-12.

Two more notes: After the game, the tournament organizers announced the Sportsmanship Awards; WSHS’s winner was #13, senior Nathan Schiavo. During the game, head coach Dan Kriley was absent from the bench; we asked athletic director Corey Sorenson and principal Brian Vance, both of whom were at the game, why, but both said they couldn’t comment.