Bellevue senior Hans Stone hit a 3-pointer with one minute left to help the Bellevue boys basketball team hold on and defeat Lake Washington, 48-40, in a 3A KingCo loser-out game on Feb. 11. The Wolverines carried that momentum into the KingCo second-place game against the Interlake Saints on Feb. 13 at Interlake High School. Bellevue beat the Saints, 50-40, to finish second at the league tournament.

In the opening round of the 3A SeaKing district tournament, the Wolverines beat the Bishop Blanchet Braves, 53-47, in a loser-out game on Feb. 15 at Bellevue High School. The win over the Braves set up a showdown with O’Dea, the defending state champions, on Feb 18 at Ingraham High School, after the Reporter’s deadline.

Wolverines finish strong to edge the Kangaroos: Even in a high-stakes situation, the Bellevue Wolverines hit a pair of key shots late to beat Lake Washington, extend their season and secure a spot in districts. Bellevue head coach Sam Fein said he was impressed with how his team didn’t panic down the stretch in a tight game.

“I’m really proud of our guys,” Fein said. “We had a number of guys step up. Hudson (Hansen) hit a big shot, Hans (Stone) hit that big three. It’s nice to see a bunch of different guys contribute at the end of the game.”

Hansen led the scoring for the Wolverines with 18 points, including 10 in the second half. Stone added 12 points, including a pair of 3-pointers.

The Wolverines took a 14-11 lead into the second quarter after junior Hudson Hansen converted a 3-point play with two seconds left. In the second quarter, Lake Washington guard Evan Liggett scored nine of his 20 points to put the Kangaroos up 21-18 at halftime.

In the third quarter, the Wolverines had a 30-25 lead late in the quarter, but Lake Washington guard Ben Nyquist hit a 3-pointer with a second left to cut the lead to 30-28. Bellevue held a narrow lead for most of the fourth quarter. Liggett hit a 3-pointer with two minutes left to cut Bellevue’s lead to 42-40, but Stone answered with a clutch 3-pointer of his own to make it 45-40. The Wolverines defense held strong and Bellevue made three out of its four free throws to cement its 48-40 win.

Fein said he was impressed with Lake Washington’s game, especially the performance by Liggett.

“(Liggett) was killing us all night,” Fein said. “I thought Lake Washington played really well.”

As they head into the postseason, Fein said he thinks they can peak at the right time.

“I think we’re playing our best basketball right now,” Fein said. “We’re getting through some injuries right now, but I think our guys are starting to vibe on the court. I’m happy with where we’re at going into districts.”

Bellevue freshman Alex Yu dribbles past defenders during a loser-out game against Lake Washington in the 3A KingCo league tournament on Feb. 11. Benjamin Olson/staff photo