LYNDEN - With less than 30 seconds left Burlington-Edison guard Rudy Mataya drove the length of the floor and converted an acrobatic game-winning layup to send the Tigers to the Class 2A State Tournament round of eight in Yakima.
Burlington-Edison held on in its final defensive possession to earn a back-and-forth 51-50 win against White River Saturday, Feb. 23, at Lynden High School.
White River had a chance to win the game after Mataya's bucket pushed the Tigers in front, but Dustin France's mid-range jumper missed with 5 seconds left. Alex Sayler grabbed the long rebound but settled for a tough shot that missed as time expired.
Burlington-Edison's Austin Von Herbulis scored a team-high 15 points and hauled in a game-high 17 rebounds. White River's Brandon Dove scored a game-high 21 points to lead the Hornets.
"Getting there and being in the final eight is something we are definitely proud of," said Burlington-Edison coach Jake Martyn on the Tigers earning a trip to the Yakima SunDome.
The Tigers led most of the game, but White River grabbed a 50-49 lead after France made a baseline jumper with 1:30 left in the fourth quarter. After both teams came up empty on their next possessions, Mataya corralled a long rebound, drove the length of the floor and made a crafty right-handed scoop layup. He got fouled but couldn't convert the free throw.
"It was a situation where he got the ball in the open floor and a lane opened up," Martyn said. "As he was in the air he kind of had to adjust. He is the best athlete we have on our team. He was a state triple jumper last year, so he was kind of able to hang in the air and finish."
Burlington-Edison's Isaak Davies scored seven of his 13 points in the fourth quarter, and Mataya finished with nine points. White River's Robert Foster and Spencer Swigart each scored eight points.
Reach Andrew Lang at andrew.lang@bellinghamherald.com or call 360-756-2862.
BURLINGTON-EDISON 51, WHITE RIVER 50
Burlington-Ed. 10 19 11 13 - 51
White River 9 16 15 10 - 50
Burlington-Edison: Brandon Stransky 0, Carlos Navarro 0, Rudy Mataya 9, Dalton Schwetz 8, Isaak Davies 13, Daron Browning 6, Austin Von Herbulis 15. Team Totals: 21-51 5-11 51
White River: Brandon Dove 21, Spencer Swigart 8, Alex Sayler 3, Bo Dudley 0, Dustin France 6, Brandon Garvin 4, Robert Foster 8. Team totals: 22-48 3-7 50.
3-ptg: Burlington-Edison 4 (Davies 3), White River 3 (Swigart 2). Rebounds: Burlington-Edison 31 (Von Herbulis 17), White River 23 (Dove 6). Assists: Burlington-Edison 11 (Schwetz 3), White River 8 (Sayler 2). Fouls: Burlington-Edison 8, White River 10. Turnovers: Burlington-Edison 13, White River 13.
