The lights at the Hoquiam Square Garden have been shot out before, especially from the hosts on many winter nights.
However, on this Monday night non-league boys basketball special, it was the visiting Shelton Highclimbers that poached the lights from distance.
Hitting a dozen 3-point baskets overall and controlling the paint when shots went awry, the Highclimbers never trailed in knocking off the Grizzlies, 78-56.
Hoquiam’s Rayyon Dayton earned high-scorer honors with 20 points, 16 of them coming in the second half, and 13 rebounds.
Shelton’s Travis Colbenson led the visitors with 16 points and was one of five sharpshooters who hit behind the 3-point line.
“You have to give (Shelton) credit, they shot the ball very well tonight,” HHS head coach Curtis Eccles said. “Once they started to get open looks, even when we adjusted on defense, they still got good looks at the basket. It was their night. We still have to get better.”
Shelton’s ball movement allowed it to find the open spots on the perimeter for 3-ball shots. It was super effective — 5-for-9 behind the 3-point line in the first quarter alone — for a 24-15 score after one quarter.
Hoquiam (2-5 overall) was close in the first quarter, but offensive rebounds by Shelton (3-5 overall) in the second quarter allowed it to extend the lead to a 40-24 halftime margin.
Shelton finished with a 35-29 rebounding edge and was 8-for-17 from 3-point territory in the first half. Overall, it finished 12-for-23 in 3-point attempts.
In the second half, Dayton and Payton Quintanilla kept Hoquiam’s offense moving. The duo scored 27 of the Grizzlies’ 32 second-half points.
Quintanilla finished with 13 points, 11 in the second half. Victor James dished out five assists and Matt Brown had three steals for the Grizzlies.
On Thursday, Hoquiam (2-5) visits Castle Rock.
Shelton 24 16 22 16 — 78
Hoquiam 15 9 17 15 — 56
Shelton (78) — Freeman 2, Auld 9, Colbenson 16, Thompson 14, Benson 11, Kenyon 6, Hitsman 12, Vadillo-Brown 6, Jonker 2. FG — 27-56 (.482) FT — 12-16.
Hoquiam (56) — Dayton 20, Eccles 7, Larsen, Folkers 7, Varner, Quintanilla 13, James 2, Smith, Morales, Brown 7. FG — 22-49 (.449). FT — 9-15.
JV — Shelton 61, Hoquiam 34.
