In a crucial loser-out game against senior-laden Woodinville High in the 4A Kingco Tournament Tuesday night, Bothell High senior Oliver Hurtin came up huge, scoring the winning layin with 1.8 seconds left on the clock in a 46-44 victory at Juanita High.

In a wild game filled with turnovers, missed shots and blown free throws on both sides, the Cougars held on until the end.

Tied at 44-44 with 11 seconds left on the clock, Bothell got the ball back and had one final shot to put the game away.

The logical play would be to feed the ball to senior Dominic Ballard, who scored a game-high 19. But with the clock winding down, Woodinville’s man-to-man defense stifled Bothell and the Falcons had a vicious double-team on Ballard, forcing the Cougars to come up with an another plan on the fly.

Six-footer Hurtin found a route through the middle, and rattled the ball in off the glass causing the Bothell stands to erupt and storm the court in celebration.

“We were planning that if they were in zone, we’d run a play for Dom,” said Hurtin on the final play. “But since they were in man, we got it in and we just had to go.”

Added Bothell head coach Ron Bollinger: “We drew it up to go to Dominic and try to attack the basket. But they pressed us… we hit (Oliver), and we had to break. He had to take it from there.”

In addition to Ballard’s 19, Hurtin and 6-foot-9 center Jake Madsen, stepping in for Michael Hartvigson who is out for the season with a separated shoulder, scored eight apiece.

“Jake has really stepped up,” Bollinger noted. “He’s really playing well right now, his back and knees are better, and he’s really starting to blossom for us. He’s been huge.”

The Cougars will take on Eastlake at 8:15 p.m. Thursday at Juanita, with the winner advancing to play a Southwest school for the league’s final state berth.