Seaside’s Caleb Langmo (00) shoots over Crook County’s Bryce Lowenbach (15) during the March 1 playoff game.

March 1 felt like deja vu for the Seaside Seagulls.

After losing at home in the first round of last year’s state tournament to Marist Catholic, the Seaside boys had the chance to right that wrong and move onto Forest Grove.

But cold shooting doomed the No. 3 seeded Seagulls, as they were shocked by No. 14 Crook County 46-37.

The Crook County Cowboys led most of the game and controlled the tempo with a variety of defensive looks. Crook County’s Bryce Lowenbach was a force inside, using all of his frame to rebound, score and block shots. Lowenbach and senior Logan Mathews each scored 11 points and delivered the knockout punches to send the Seagulls home early.

“On the offensive end, we were pretty raggedy,” Seaside boys basketball head coach Bill Westerholm said. “We had too many turnovers in that first half, and Crook County did a nice job of changing defenses up, which we knew they would and practiced for.”

The Seagulls trailed 16-10 after one, and 24-16 at halftime. However, they came out of the break with much more intensity.

Led by Jordan Westerholm’s hot shooting and their defense, the Seagulls came back to tie the game and even took the lead at some stretches in the second half. But the Cowboys outscored the Seagulls 9-0 over the last three minutes to punch their ticket to Forest Grove.

“I was proud of the kids for fighting back in the third quarter,” Westerholm said. “I thought we would go on a nice run and we didn’t score for about four minutes there in the fourth quarter. We had some looks, but just didn’t put them down.”

The Seagulls’ poor shooting put a damper on what was a great defensive game. Seaside, behind the perimeter defense of Ruger Thompson and Kyler McCleary, held Crook County’s top-scorer Tyson Martinez to just four points.

The Seagulls also lost Austin Palmer early in the third quarter to an injury. Palmer initially got hurt on a dribbling move and was hobbled the rest of the night. After getting his knee worked on he tried to go back in, but collapsed in pain not long after checking back in.

“I’m not sure what he did, but it doesn’t look good,” Westerholm said, regarding Palmer’s injury. “We thought it was just a hyperextension but it obviously wasn’t when he went back in and it collapsed on him again. Hopefully, it’s not that bad. It hurt not having Austin in the second half of the third quarter and fourth quarter. It changed some of the things we had to do.”

Though the Seagulls seniors are leaving disappointed, Westerholm had nothing but praise for the group, as he said the team came together the second half of the season and were playing great basketball.

“My seniors have done a nice job for me this year,” Westerholm said. “We’ve had a great second half of the basketball season coming together and doing the things we have to do not just on the court, but outside practices. I’m proud of these seniors, they will go on and do great things.”

The loss officially closes the book on Seaside’s basketball season. The boys finish 18-4 overall and though they won’t make it to Forest Grove, the team has the distinction as the only Westerholm team to ever go undefeated in their league.

The Seagulls were led by Jordan Westerholm, who had 12 points, and Palmer, who had nine before he exited the game. Seniors Izzy Jantes and Caleb Langmo had eight and seven points, respectively, in their last games for the Seagulls.