MOUNT VERNON - Meridian boys' basketball coach Shane Stacy had a hug and a fist pump for just about everybody he passed on his way to the Trojans' locker room.
"Two years, two long years," he kept repeating.
While not the longest of droughts, it certainly seemed like forever for Stacy and his team since they last made it to the state tournament in 2006.
Stacy and Meridian will have to wait 10 more days to take the court in Yakima for the state tournament, but the streak will definitely come to an end after the Trojans beat King's 65-62 in the Class 1A Northwest District Tournament championship game on Saturday, Feb. 20, at Mount Vernon High School.
Zach Slesk led the way, scored 11 of his game-high 23 points in the fourth quarter, including six in the final two minutes to help the Trojans (15-7) hold off the determined Knights.
"It's seems like such a long time since the last time we went," Stacy said. "I'm so happy for all these kids that they will get the opportunity to experience what it's like to play in state. We came so close last year, and it's great to finally make that last step."
Meridian actually lost in the district championship game to King's last year and then failed to advance out of the 1A Tri-District Tournament. But that won't be a concern this year, as all they will be playing for this week in the tri-district tournament is a top seed into state. The Trojans will await the winner of a game between the District 2 and 3 champions to play for the tri-district's top seed in a 5 p.m. game Saturday, Feb. 27, at Mountlake Terrace.
"It feels great to get to state," Slesk said. "It's great to know we had the players, and this year we had the maturity to get it done."
In Slesk, Meridian also had enough toughness to make the trip.
Slesk repeatedly was able to drive the lane and get layups, despite being the shortest player on the court.
"I think it was a matter of King's not respecting the toughness and the heart of a player like Zach Slesk," Stacy said. "It was great to see him come up big like that tonight. He had his ups and downs this year, but you know he's a guy that can always rise to the occasion."
No occasion was any bigger than the one Slesk and the Trojans faced late in the fourth quarter after the resilient Knights once again started cutting into a Meridian lead.
With Meridian clinging to a 57-53 lead with two minutes to play, Slesk took over, driving the right side of the lane and getting the lay-up over players nearly a foot taller than he.
But King's wasn't done yet, as Ryan Hoff, who led the Knights with 22 points, hit his sixth 3-pointer of the night to cut the lead to three, 59-56, then stole the ball near midcourt and went the other way for the lay-up in transition to make the lead one.
"We went to a triangle-and-two to try to slow him up in the second quarter," Stacy said. "He's a very good rhythm shooter, and we just couldn't find the right rhythm against him."
Fortunately, King's couldn't find the right defense against Slesk, either.
Slesk once again found an opening up the center of the Knights' defense and scored yet another lay-up, this time over the 6-foot-5 Daniel Berendsen, to put Meridian back up by three, 61-58, with 45 seconds to play.
After Berendsen scored on a put-back bucket, Slesk was fouled with 12.3 seconds to play and sank both his free throws to make it 63-60.
"They were doubling Joey (Sebens) throughout the game, and that created some opportunities for some of the rest of us to step up and contribute," Slesk said wiping the blood off his face from a scratch he took on one of his late drives to the hoop.
Sebens still got his share of points, too, scoring 21, including two clinching free throws with 3.2 seconds to play, after King's got a pair of free throws from Sean Brugger at the other end.
King's still had one chance, though, and as expected they got the ball in Hoff's hands, but Tait Slesk got the clinching steal before he even reached half court to secure the victory and the trip to state.
"This means a lot to this team," Slesk said. "Going to state is great, but so is winning the district title. I don't think we've done that in six or seven years. We really wanted this one."
Reach David Rasbach at david.rasbach@bellinghamherald.com or 715-2271.
MERIDIAN 65, KING'S 62
King's 11 21 13 17 - 62
Meridian 13 21 12 19 - 65
King's: Sean Brugger 0, Kyle Sawtell 0, Ryan Hoff 22, Price Coshow 2, Daniel Berendsen 9, Daniel Cheledinas 19, Karl Clocksin 10. Team totals: 19-42 16-23 62.
Meridian: Tait Slesk 0, Tyler Wasilewski 4, Zack Slesk 23, Josiah Sebens 21, Mitchell Tripp 7, Mike Hayes 10, Denver VanderYacht 0, Ryan Clark 0. Team totals: 21-47 20-27 65.
3-ptg: King's 8 (Hoff 6), Meridian 3 (Sebens 3). Rebounds: King's 25 (Brendsen 9), Meridian 25 (Wasilewski 5, Sebens 5). Assists: King's 4 (Clocksin 2), Meridian 5 (Wasilewski 2, Zach Slesk 2). Fouls: King's 20 (Coshow, Cheledinas fouled out), Meridian 22 (Tripp fouled out). Turnovers: King's 12, Meridian 8.
