North Kitsap’s season ended in heartbreaking fashion, falling to Tumwater 82-76 in triple overtime and finishing sixth at the state 2A boys basketball tournament at the SunDome in Yakima.

During the first half, the Vikings had a slight advantage. Cade Orness and Harry Davies started the historical game with all 17 first-quarter points. Tumwater responded with just 11.

As the Thunderbirds’ defense switched, Ethan Gillespie and Jalen East each made a basket in the second period, but the Vikings were outscored 13-10 as Tumwater closed to within 27-24 at halftime.

Orness and Davies were shooting 50% on 12 shots in the first half while the rest of the team shot 20% on five shots. Despite trailing, Tumwater shot 47% in the first half compared to the Vikings’ 37.5%.

NK’s offense fell apart in the third quarter as Tumwater took a 42-41 lead going into the final eight minutes of regulation.

Gillespie made a few three-pointers as NK rebounded to take a seven-point lead. But Davies went down with a leg injury and even though he returned he wasn’t at full strength.

Tumwater’s Luke Brewer became the king of the fourth period and overtime, sparking a late run to tie the game at 56-56 as time expired.

In the first overtime, Brewer nailed a mid-range jumper. Davies responded with a layup and picked up a steal with three seconds left. Coach Scott Orness called a timeout to give the Vikings a chance at halfcourt. But the inbounds pass was stolen and the teams went into a second overtime tied at 58.

Neither team was missing in the second overtime. During the four-minute span, both teams scored 12 points. Brewer made all 12 points, including a few free throws that looked to end the game.

But Orness ran down the court and nailed a pull-up three-pointer with time expiring to tie the game at 70, sending it into a third overtime.

Davies then fouled out, and Brewer made 8 points to give the Thunderbirds a five-point lead with nine seconds left. Orness ran up the court and floated the ball from behind the arc on one foot to cut the lead to 78-76.

But Tumwater finished with free throws to win 82-76.

Brewer finished with a tournament-high 35 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists.

Orness finished with 30 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds. Davies ended with 22 points and 10 rebounds.

Vs. R.A. Long

NK kept its season alive March 3 by edging eighth-seeded R.A. Long 57-55.

Although NK led the entire game, their offense was stagnant at times.

The first quarter was Davies vs. the Lumberjacks starting five. Davies scored 11 of the 13 points that period with Orness adding the only other points with a layup. The Viking defense was tough, holding R.A. Long to seven points.

Orness took over in the second quarter, scoring seven points while Davies also added seven. In the first half, Davies and Orness made 9 of 19 shots and scored all 27 points. The rest of the team shot 0 for 5.

Lumberjack Cavin Holden kept R.A. Long in the game, scoring 16 of the team’s 21 first-half points.

NK’s role players began to make a difference in the third quarter. Gillespie nailed a few threes and East ended with eight points as the Vikings took a 39-34 lead going into the final quarter.

R.A. Long slimmed the lead to 42-41 in the first few minutes. But Gillespie’s three-pointer gave the Vikings a 53-49 lead with a few minutes remaining.

Davies made a couple of free throws to end with 24 points, and Orness drove to the hoop and ended with 15 points.

Lumberjack Landon Irwin tried for the win from behind the arc but fell short.

Davies added 12 rebounds and Orness five assists. Holden scored 34 for the losing team, along with eight rebounds and four assists.

Vs. Lynden

The Lynden Lions were twice as good as NK March 2, beating the Vikings 68-34 in a state quarterfinal game.

NK pulled off an upset in its first game at the Sundome March 1 with a 58-55 victory over fifth-seeded Sehome.

Against Lynden, the Lions went on a 10-0 run to start the game before Orness drove to the hoop for a layup.

Lynden looked like they were in trouble when forward Anthony Canales rolled his ankle halfway through the first quarter. While he was out, Lynden only outscored NK by a point. Davies led the first-quarter scoring with four points.

However, Canales returned, and the Lions again rolled by the Vikings, leading 20-7 going into the second quarter.

In the next eight minutes, Mason Chmielewski and East scored four points combined. Orness and Davies were the only scorers in the first half until Gillespie hit a buzzer-beater as the Lions led at intermission 39-20.

While Lynden’s defense dominated, its offense could not miss either. In the first half, Lynden shot over 60% from the field and over 70% from the three-point arc.

On the other hand, NK wasn’t hitting from the field, scoring 10 of its 20 points from the free-throw line.

Davies came out hot in the third quarter, slimming the lead to 15 points. But Lynden quickly responded and boosted the advantage to 54-30 after three periods.

The Lions took their foot off the pedal in the fourth period, but still outscored the Vikings 14-4 as both teams sent in their reserves.

Davies led the Vikings with 14 points and Canales led Lynden with 18.

Vs. Sehome

Against Sehome, both teams came out firing in the first quarter. Gillespie led the Vikings with a three-pointer and a couple of free throws. However, Sehome’s Grant Kepley’s five points gave the Mariners a 16-12 lead after the first quarter.

The Vikings took advantage of a physical Sehome team in the second quarter, going to the charity stripe on numerous occasions. Davies and Orness scored nine free throws and 17 points that period as NK took a 29-28 lead at the break.

The dynamic duo backcourt for NK then took matters into their own hands in the second half. Davies scored 13 of North Kitsap’s 15 points in the third quarter. He ended the game with 25 points. In the fourth quarter, Orness took over the offense. He scored the first seven points in the period to give the Vikings a four-point lead. He ended the game with 21 points.

However, Sehome was able to keep it close and actually tied the game in the closing minutes 51-51. But the Vikings pulled ahead 57-55 with 20 seconds left. After a missed shot by Sehome, NK ran out the clock and nailed another free throw to capture the win.