It was a hot summer day in a stinky, smelly gym where the basketball was played at a very high level," said Jim Marsh, who coached Webster's Friends of Hoop team to an overtime win that day over Williams' Rotary Boys and Girls Club.
It was a signature moment in Washington basketball, but only a harbinger of yesterday's historical night.
Webster and Williams went at each other like Magic and Bird. They took on the personal challenge, without forgetting what the game meant to their teammates.
Webster blocked Williams' first three shots. Two of them he batted out of Webster's hands when the ball still was at Williams' knees. The third he went up with Williams, met him at the top of Williams' jump and swatted the ball.
But Williams came back at Webster and forced overtime in a game that Washington recruit Jon Brockman eventually won with a reverse layup with two seconds to play.
It was a game only the state's true basketball junkies remember.
It became a prelude to history.
Seattle Times
