Friday Harbor kept its string of league wins alive with a late-game rally and a come-from-behind 59-56 victory over Shoreline Christian Tuesday in Turnbull Gym.

Trailing by eight points with six minutes left in the final period, the Wolverines outscored the Crusaders 14-5 over the next three-plus minutes to erase the deficit. They took their first lead since the opening period, at 55-54, as Tanner Buck knocked down a short-range jumper with 2:45 remaining in regulation.

The lead didn’t last for long.

On the following possession, Shoreline Christian (9-2 overall, 4-2 league) went back up by a point as guard Travis Hudson drove down the lane and tallied two points on an uncontested layup. Hudson, a senior, had 11 points in the game.

Down by a point, the Wolverines (5-5 overall, 5-0 league) came away empty on back-to-back possessions, but then grabbed an advantage which they would hold until the final buzzer as sophomore Donny Galt snatched an offensive rebound and laid it up and in with 38 seconds left to play. Galt had 11 points in the game.

Clinging to a 1-point lead, Senior Preston Ukra drained two free-throws to put the Wolverines out in front by three with four seconds left on the clock. Turnbull Gym erupted in celebration as a last-second shot by Shoreline Christian rattled the rim and fell to the floor as time expired.

Ukra, who tossed in a game-high 21 points, credits a stern lecture by Coach Rod Turnbull, who pulled all five starters from the game midway through the third quarter, for helping the team to raise its level of play.

Friday Harbor, which remains undefeated in Northwest 1A/2B League play, at 5-0, outscored the Crusaders 22-14 in the final period.

“Coach Turnbull gave us a harsh talking to and I think we all took it to heart,” Urka said. “That got all of us going and we just stepped it up and played Friday Harbor basketball down the stretch.”

Trailing by only two at the break, at 26-24, the Wolverines fell behind by nine as the Crusaders, sparked on the offensive end by junior Brooks Drollinger, who knocked down four of Shoreline Christian’s seven 3-pointers and tallied a team-high 18 points, started the third quarter on an 11-2 run. The Wolverines ended the period on a 7-2 run of their own to draw within five at the start of the fourth and final period.

In addition to a wake-up call from Turnbull, Ukra gave credit to Galt’s tenacity for helping to lift the Wolverines to the win.

“He just really fought it out to get that rebound at the end,” he said. “Those two points were really big for us.”

Next

The Wolverines are on the road Friday, at Cedar Park Christian, tip off is 5 p.m., and host Lynden Christian Saturday; tip off is 1:30 p.m. in Turnbull Gym.