Auburn Mountainview outlasts Enumclaw in OT

Published 3:00 pm Friday, January 23, 2026

A long night ended in jubilee as the Auburn Mountainview Lions handed the Enumclaw Hornets their first loss in league play and kept the door cracked open for a league title.

The Lions eked out a 69-68 win in overtime on Jan. 22 over the Hornets at home.

“It’s a testament to the adversity that they have had to overcome. This group has had to navigate some stuff behind the scenes that a lot of people don’t know about. It is kudos to them. We didn’t necessarily play amazing at all points in the game. But they stayed together,” head coach Kendall White said.

It was the Lions’ third game this week and third matchup against a team with a winning record. The week started on MLK Day as the Lions took care of King’s inside the ShoWare Center (Jan. 19, 56-36). They then traveled to Todd Beamer High School and downed the Titans 90-70 on Jan. 20 before an all-important matchup with Enumclaw, the league leaders.

In their first matchup this season, Auburn Mountainview lost 76-50 at the hands of the Hornets, a game that sticks out like a sore thumb on the schedule. But on Jan. 22, the chance for revenge was on the minds of the Lions.

“We came out soft, and downplayed them (last time). We didn’t think they were good and got punched in the face,” senior Kolven Posey said.

This time around, it was more akin to a heavyweight brawl than a punch in the face.

With 3.2 seconds left in overtime, Enumclaw almost snatched victory from the jaws of defeat on a last second lay-up attempt from Esias Goodlett. But the ball touched every part of the rim and bounced out — and meant the Lions survived.

“I was thinking that shot went in. When I looked up and saw it didn’t go in, it was a big sigh of relief,” Posey said

It took an extra period as the Lions and Hornets were tied at 60 going into overtime. In the waning moments of the game, White elected not to use a timeout and let Kolven Posey go for the win with the ball in his hands.

“Kolven Posey shoots a very, very impressive percentage from the floor and usually gets any shot he wants. At the end of the game, that’s the kid I am putting the ball in his hands,” White said. “I am putting my money on Kolven and nine times out of ten, he is going to make it happen.”

Posey struggled to get a shot off as the buzzer sounded, but the Lions’ coach and players both stood by that decision.

“The ball hasn’t been in my hands in moments like those. But it’s all about pushing through, going back and looking at film and seeing what I could have done better in that moment,” Posey said.

In the future, that decision won’t change either because both Posey and White don’t lack confidence whatsoever.

“I hope he knows that I am not changing anything. I’ll keep the ball in his hands at the end of every game, if that is what it came down to,” White said.

Right after the tipoff in overtime, the Lions got production from their spark plug, Cody Bennion. Bennion intercepted the tipoff for a fast break, recorded the first rebound of overtime and drew a foul, and went 1 for 2 from the free throw line.

“Shout out to Cody Bennion to be honest. He didn’t shoot the ball well and was frustrated with himself. But he continued to just keep going and give us that spark that we needed,” White said.

Bennion finished the night with 12 points, and was one of four Lions to reach double figures.

In the first quarter, it was clear that neither side was going to find much separation. Auburn Mountainview had an 18-16 lead at the end of the first eight minutes, but the Hornets had met the moment and were going stride for stride early with the Lions.

At halftime, the Hornets leveled the score at 32. Posey and Travis Leonard of Enumclaw both had nine points in the first half. On the Mountainview side, Dale Jones had just four points, but the 6’3” senior gives an added edge to the Lions’ rotation.

“Dale Jones is the glue that we didn’t know we needed to be honest. If you look at the stats for every game that has been tight, his name is right there in the rebound category. Against Beamer, he had 15 boards. Tonight he had a plethora of them,” White said. “He’s the toughness this team needs.”

The third quarter was the Lions’ poorest of the game, scoring just 10 points in the quarter. Enumclaw on the other hand was steady throughout the first three quarters, scoring 16 points in each of the first three. This helped Enumclaw take a 48-42 lead into the fourth quarter, while Markell Lowery and Posey combined for 11 points.

All evening Enumclaw had problems bringing the ball up the floor as all three Mountainview guards — Posey, Lowery and Bennion — all harassed the ball handlers for the Hornets all night. With the full-court press that the Lions deploy, having three capable defenders adds a whole other element opponents have to prepare for.

“All three have a combination of quickness and strength. They all allow me to coach them pretty hard and in practice we put a big emphasis on staying true to our identity. Giving them the freedom to just be pitbulls on the ball has been big. Sometimes it hurts us. But times like tonight is a big benefit,” White said.