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Crime & Safety

LawDawgs Defeat SmokeEaters 54-31 in 2nd Annual Boots and Badges Charity Classic

Thunder Mountain Middle School's Ethan Wallin's three pointer at the end of the game caps a successful fundraising event.

On Saturday night at Enumclaw High School, there was a charity basketball game dubbed '' that pitted local police (the LawDawgs) against fire (the SmokeEaters), but it took on something a little extra.

It was a chance to pay respect and tribute to 20-year Enumclaw Police , who passed away on January 16 from leukemia, and to give a young cancer fighter, Ethan Wallin, a night to remember.

"It will be a night full of memories that I will take with me forever," Black Diamond Police Officer Brian Lynch, co-organizer of this event, said.

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The SmokeEaters came out firing early, jumping out to a 6-3 lead thanks to some sharp shooting by Pat Kelly. However, the LawDawgs would fire right back with an 8-0 run capped off by a Christian Adams basket to push the LawDawgs ahead 11-6 late in the first quarter.

The teams would battle hard the rest of the first half as the SmokeEaters worked their defense to cut the LawDawgs lead to six at 21-15 late in the second quarter, thanks in part to a three-point shot by the SmokeEaters' Chase Thomson.

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The second half would see the LawDawgs gradually pull away thanks to Eric Vance and Adams' steady play on the offensive end of the floor, forcing the SmokeEaters into some tough shots and pulling out to a 35-19 advantage late in the third quarter. But the SmokeEaters would not quit as they went on a 7-2 run to end the third quarter, cutting the lead to 37-26.

With a little less than a minute to go and the ball out of bounds, a special substitution was made. Wallin, a Thunder Mountain Middle School sixth grader, entered the game for a chance to play and after a couple of possessions changed hands, he knocked down a three-point shot that put a true exclamation point on a resoundingly successful evening for the 2nd Annual Boots and Badges Classic as the LawDawgs took the 54-31 victory.

It was Lynch who worked to get Wallin involved in this fundraiser. At halftime, Lynch presented him with a signed poster from both teams to commemorate the experience. Lynch said he was very pleased with how everything turned out on the evening.

Lynch on getting Wallin into the game: "It was a spur of the moment type of thing, and it was all worth it."

"It felt good, really awesome," Wallin said on getting into the game and making a basket.  

"It was fun to humble the firefighters a bit," Enumclaw Police Officer Tony Ryan said on winning the game. "It was a great night to be a part of."

In spite of the loss, the SmokeEaters didn't hold a grudge. "We were happy as well as a fire department to be part of such a great cause," Enumclaw Fire/District No. 28 Lance Harderson said.

Against the backdrop of losing colleague, Sgt. Robinson this year, however, "It put an extra emotional twist on the night," Ryan said.

The time and energy to put together this type of event is something that requires a tremendous amount of volunteers and Bri Lobdell, wife of Enumclaw Police Officer Dustin Lobdell spearheaded this group in making this night such a success.

"We had more people here this year and I think knowing people (Sgt. Robinson, Police Volunteer Marilyn Hash, and Ethan Wallen) who have lost or battling cancer got more people involved," she said.

 

 

 

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