SHORELINE — The Cougars boys hoops team played with the Knights for a half — unfortunately it was the second half.

By the time Lakewood woke up, King’s was well on its way to a 65-40 Cascade Conference win Feb. 2.

“We just didn’t show up to play,” said Lakewood coach Matt Hart. “You have to play 32 minutes to stay with teams competing for state championships. And teams like King’s, Lynden, Burlington-Edison and Coupeville are doing that.”

Lakewood posted season lows in shooting percentage (9.5 percent) and rebounds (two) during the first half, as King’s intensity showed why it was at the top of the conference, forging 38-8 halftime lead.

“We weren’t running our stuff, so we weren’t getting the kinds of shots we wanted and that drops your shooting percentage,” Hart said.

Lakewood was out-rebounded 17-2 during that stretch and paid for missing assignments on defense, which led to open shots for Ryan Hoff, who scored 19 of his season-high 23 in the first half.

“You’ve just got to challenge them and let them know it’s a pride issue,” said Hart about motivating his team at halftime. “Things like rebounding — those are who wants it more.”

Hoff was part of a one-two punch with Daniel Cheledinas who scored 13 points and also shut down the Cougars offense.

Lakewood put together a second half that outscored a full-strength King’s team 32-27. Junior forward Tre’ Haslom scored nine of his 13 points in the second half, as their spacing evened out and the Cougars started finding holes in an over-extended Knights defense.

Lakewood started the second half with a 12-3 run. Cameron Fry made a trio of three-pointers on his way to 10 points.

“In that second half we proved that we can play at that level,” Hart said. “But they’ve got to learn how to sustain that the entire game.”

The loss snaps Lakewood’s season three-game winning streak. The Cougars (5-10 overall, 4-5 Cascade) sit in the third spot for the District 1 tournament with five games remaining.