For just about the entirety of the second half, the Aberdeen Bobcats looked like they were headed for a second straight loss to Myrtle Street rival Hoquiam.

But it was Aberdeen that made the plays down the stretch to earn a 52-46 come-from-behind victory on Friday at Hoquiam Square Garden.

Aberdeen (4-3 overall) held an early six point lead after the first quarter but saw it quickly evaporate as Hoquiam’s hot-shooting senior Charli Sampson-Eastman buried three 3-pointers in the second quarter to stake the Grizzlies to a 21-18 lead at the half.

Hoquiam (2-3) continued to hit shots in the third quarter while the Bobcats struggled to put points on the board. Six different players scored for the Grizzlies in the third, with three players — Sampson-Eastman, Kamryn Krohn and Graci Bonney-Spradlin — each hitting a three while junior power forward Ashlinn Cady led Hoquiam with four points in the frame.

RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Hoquiam guard Charli Sampson-Eastman led Hoquiam with 14 points and 12 rebounds in a 52-46 loss to Aberdeen on Friday in Hoquiam.

Hoquiam, which led by as much as six points in the period, held a 37-34 advantage heading into the final quarter.

The Grizzlies opened the final eight minutes of play by stretching its lead even further. A Cady jumpshot followed by an Ella Folkers baseline drive and layup led to a 41-34 lead for Hoquiam, its largest of the second half.

But Aberdeen turned up the defensive pressure, creating turnovers and making it difficult for Hoquiam to run its offense, which translated into the Bobcats chipping away at the Grizzlies lead.

Junior guard Marina Marll hit a free-throw line jumper with 5:45 left to go to begin the Aberdeen rally.

A minute and 45 seconds later, Aberdeen sophomore guard Zoe Troeh hit a pair of free throws to cut the Hoquiam lead to 41-38.

Sampson-Eastman converted a couple of free throws on the next possession to put Hoquiam back up by five at 43-38, but a jumper from Troeh followed by a layup from junior point guard Maddi Gore pulled Aberdeen to within a point at 43-42 with 2:41 left in the game.

After a Hoquiam turnover — one of many the Grizzlies had in the final minutes of the game — Aberdeen took the lead at 45-43 when Troeh drilled an open three from the elbow with 2:15 to go.

RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Aberdeen guard Zoe Troeh, right, looks to pass while being defended by Hoquiam’s Ella Folkers during the Bobcats 52-46 victory on Friday at Hoquiam Square Garden. Troeh and Bobcats guard Maddi Gore led Aberdeen with 15 points in the game.

After the teams traded free throws over the next two possessions, Aberdeen’s Abby Martinez — who had scored two points in the game up to that point — hit the biggest shot of her prep career.

Up by two with a minute left, Martinez called for the ball and received a pass from Gore at the 3-point line. The senior forward, who is not known for her outside shooting prowess, put up a shot that bounced high off the front of the rim and fell straight through, giving the Bobcats a two-possession lead at 49-44 with 59.4 seconds left and setting off a roar from the Bobcats faithful.

“For the past four years, I’ve been saying I’m going to make a three in a game and that was my first three I’ve ever hit in a game,” an elated Martinez said after the game. “Everyone on the team knew it was my first one, so we were all really excited I hit it for the first time ever.”

Hoquiam responded when Folkers scored in the paint to put the Grizzlies back to within one score at 49-46 with 45 seconds left.

But Martinez and Aberdeen weren’t done yet.

Aberdeen’s Saylor Heikkila hit 1-of-2 free throws for a 50-46 lead with 25 ticks left and — after another Hoquiam turnover — Heikkila fed a long pass down court to an open Martinez, who converted a win-clinching layup with 15 seconds left.

Martinez blocked a shot from Cady on the final play of the game for good measure as Aberdeen players and fans celebrated the Myrtle Street Rivalry victory on Hoquiam’s home court.

Aberdeen head coach Rachel Wenzel said her team’s increased intensity on defense late in the game turned out to be the difference-maker.

“We couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn for three quarters, so we put on some full-court man pressure and that seemed to get their energy up,” she said. “I think it was a lot of luck at the end that it came at the right time because we had three quarters of basketball I wasn’t familiar with — slow, not a lot of energy — it’s a rivalry game and I should expect that.”

Hoquiam head coach Chad Allan agreed, stating his team struggled against Aberdeen’s defensive pressure.

“Their pressure definitely caused us to turn the ball over a lot. Kudos to them, they had a great plan and that caught up to us at the end,” he said. “It’s a great learning experience for us, being at the end of the game against a high-pressure defense. They had the momentum in the last few minutes and did what they were supposed to do. Hats off to them.”

Martinez said the win “was a big step for our program” and provided a good challenge.

“Coming back like that was really good for us,” she said. “There was a lot of talk within our team about beating them. We went in thinking we were going to win and having to fight back like that was hard for us.”

Martinez was in attendance the previous night when Hoquiam defeated Aberdeen in boys basketball and watched as Grizzlies fans and players celebrated on the court at Sam Benn Gymnasium.

She said that loss gave her some extra fire in her belly heading into Friday’s game.

“That wasn’t a very good feeling,” she said of watching Grizzlies dance on her home court. “That made me more motivated to go out and beat them this game.”

RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Hoquiam’s Kamryn Krohn (34) and Aberdeen’s Abby Martinez prepare for a rebound during the Bobcats 52-46 victory on Friday at in Hoquiam.

According to Martinez, Friday’s win made up for it.

“It was amazing. I’ve never had an experience like that,” she said. “I think it was a really good experience for our team, our program and everyone at our school.”

Gore and Troeh led Aberdeen with 15 points apiece, with Gore scoring nine in the third quarter to keep Aberdeen close and Troeh helping put the Bobcats over the top with seven in the fourth.

Martinez scored nine points for Aberdeen, seven of those coming in the second half.

Sampson-Eastman had a double-double to lead Hoquiam. The junior sharpshooter scored 14 points on four 3-pointers, grabbed 12 rebounds and dished out four assists.

Cady added 12 points and seven rebounds for the Grizzlies, which are set to host Taholah at noon on Tuesday.

Aberdeen travels to Elma to take on the Eagles at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

Aberdeen 11 7 15 18 — 52

Hoquiam 5 16 16 9 — 46

Scoring

Aberdeen (52) — Gore 15, Z. Troeh 15, Martinez 9, Jaylynn Phimmasone 5, Marll 4, Kallie Knutson 2, Annie Troeh 1, Heikkila 1

Hoquiam (46) — Sampson-Eastman 14, Cady 12, Krohn 8, Bonney-Spradlin 6, Folkers 5, Lynell Franks 1