A Myrtle Street Rivalry matchup highlights coverage of Thursday’s Twin Harbors boys prep basketball action.
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BOYS PREP BASKETBALL ROUNDUP
Hoquiam 69, Aberdeen 60
Hoquiam washed out the taste of a bitter league defeat the previous night with a 69-60 win over Aberdeen on Thursday at Hoquiam Square Garden.
The Grizzlies (8-8 overall) jumped on the depleted Bobcats (8-6) early, jumping out to a 15-5 lead of a steal and 3-pointer by senior Joey Bozich at the 3:05 mark of the first quarter.
Trailing 17-5 with 2:26 remaining in the frame, Aberdeen got back in the game with a key five-point swing. A technical foul on the Hoquiam bench led to two free throws from Bobcats senior guard Jhacob Quezada.
On the ensuing possession, senior guard Xanto Raya splashed in a three to cut the Cats lead to 17-10 with just over two minutes left in the first.
Another pair of Quezada free throws made it a five-point game with 1:59 on the clock.
PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Aberdeen senior guard Jhacob Quezada (23) puts up a shot during a 69-60 loss to Hoquiam on Thursday at Hoquiam Square Garden.
But two 3-pointers from junior point guard Ryker Maxfield and a Talan Abbott buzzer-beating layup off an inbound pass had Hoquiam ahead 25-16 at the end of the first eight minutes of play.
“We had to come out with fire this game,” Hoquiam freshman guard K.J. McCoy said. “We just had to come out and show what kind of team we are when we actually play together as a team.”
The Grizzlies held as much as a 12-point lead in the second quarter before the Bobcats hit 4-of-6 free throws over three straight possessions to cut the Grizzlies lead to 33-25 with just over a minute left in the first half.
But McCoy hit a shot in the paint off an outlet pass from Abbott with just 12 seconds on the clock to stake the Grizzlies to a 35-25 halftime lead.
Hoquiam stretched the lead to 41-25 when an Aberdeen turnover was converted into a McCoy layup with one minute gone in the third quarter and held as much as a 17-point lead when senior post Ryan Pullar scored of an offensive rebound to make it a 50-33 game with 59 seconds to play in the period.
Grizzlies junior guard Lincoln Niemi hit a three at the buzzer to give Hoquiam a seemingly comfortable 55-37 lead heading to the fourth quarter.
But despite missing two key starters and a key reserve due to injury, the Bobcats never really went away.
The Bobcats kept attacking the basket throughout the fourth quarter and trimmed the Cats lead to 10 points when Raya stole the ball and midcourt and scored on a breakaway layup to make it a 61-51 ballgame halfway through the period.
Though Hoquiam kept answering to keep Aberdeen at bay, the Bobcats would get as close as seven points at 67-60 on a bucket by shifty senior guard Justin Howard followed by a layup from Quezada with 52 seconds left.
PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Aberdeen’s Justin Howard (11) shoots while defended by Hoquiam’s Talan Abbott during the Bobcats’ 69-60 loss on Thursday at Hoquiam High School.
But Aberdeen was forced to foul with time running out, and Hoquiam hit 2-of-4 free throws sandwiched around a Bobcats turnover to close out the 69-60 final.
“The game plan couldn’t have been more simple,” Hoquiam head coach Jeff Niemi said, referencing a disheartening league loss to Rochester one night prior. “When you lose a game like that, you have to get back to the basics. The main thing I said was how you respond to a loss like that will not only define your season, but it will reveal character. We really bounced back and we came ready to play tonight, much more so than last night.”
Hoquiam was led by McCoy with 20 points to go along with three rebounds, three steals and an assist.
“The atmosphere was awesome,” said McCoy, who was experiencing his first Myrtle Street hoops rivalry game as a player. “It’s just really hyped and it’s fun.”
Niemi added 18 points, seven rebounds, three steals and a team-best five assists while Maxfield (8 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals), Bozich (3 reb., 3 stl.) and Abbott (5 reb., ast.) gave Hoquiam balanced scoring with nine points apiece.
The Grizzlies shot 52% from the field on 27-of-52 shooting – including 6 of 15 from beyond the arc (40%) – and hit 9-of-19 free throws (47%).
“(Coach Niemi) emphasized to play together as a team and just share the ball,” McCoy said. “We’re really close off the court, so when we are on the court, we work really well together.”
Quezada led all scorers with 28 points, including an eye-catching 15 of 17 from the free-throw line (88%), to go along with seven rebounds and a pair of steals.
Howard added 16 points and went 8 of 12 from the charity stripe (66%) as the Bobcats went 25 of 33 from the free-throw line (76%) in the game.
“He’s an integral part of this team and an amazing attacker of the basket,” Aberdeen head coach Brandyn Brooks said. “Once he sets his mind to it, there’s not really anybody that can stop him from getting to his spot, and he’s a wizard around the basket.”
“I thought we were clean with passing and came to the ball well,” Coach Niemi said. “Great job down the stretch, the only thing I’d like to see us do is not foul so much. We fouled way too much. You’re not going to win many games giving up that many (free throws), but really proud of the way we executed down the stretch.”
Aberdeen was without senior leaders Isaac Garcia and Ryker Scott, who were on the bench but sat out due to nagging injuries.
The Bobcats were also without key reserve in senior Luke Martin, who is out for the season after suffering an ACL/MCL knee injury.
“We’ve got bigger fish to fry,” said Brooks, whose team is scheduled to face Centralia in a 2A Evergreen Conference game the next day. “We really wanted to win this one, but I can’t risk those guys health and safety for a win over Hoquiam. We’ve got a big game tomorrow and we’re going to need those guys and, hopefully, they can be there to help us out.”
Aberdeen shot 13 of 40 from the floor (33%), made 3-of-17 3-pointers (18%) and committed 17 turnovers as a team, which was equal to the Grizzlies 17 giveaways.
The Bobcats had 40 rebounds to 37 for Hoquiam (21-9 on the offensive glass), led by senior forward Jayden Gladson with 15 boards.
Aberdeen hopes to have Garcia and Scott available when it takes on Centralia in a key 2A Evergreen League game at 7 p.m. on Friday in Aberdeen.
Hoquiam has an important 1A Evergreen League matchup against Montesano at 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday in Montesano.
Aberdeen 16 9 12 23 – 60
Hoquiam 25 10 20 14 – 69
Scoring: Aberdeen – Quezada 28, Howard 16, Raya 8, Matthews 5, Carroll 2, Gladson 1. Hoquiam – McCoy 20, Niemi 18, Maxfield 9, Bozich 9, Abbott 9, Byron 2, Pullar 2.
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Forks 64, Raymond-South Bend 53
A Raymond-South Bend team suffering from injuries fell to Forks 64-53 in a 2B Pacific League game on Thursday at Forks High School.
The Ravens (7-9, 2-3 2B Pacific) were without several players, including senior post Aaron Somero, which hurt their ability to defend the interior against the Spartans (10-5, 4-2), according to RSB head coach Jon Schray.
“We were short handed without two of our front court players. Without them, defending Forks’ inside game was extremely difficult,” Schray said. “Combine that with a cold-shooting third and we were playing catch-up the whole game.”
RSB trailed 35-28 at the half but saw Forks stretch its lead to 15 points by the end of the third quarter.
Senior guard Chris Banker (16 points) and junior wing Tanner Morris (12 pts.) each scored in double figures for the Ravens.
RSB plays a non-league game against Onalaska at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
RSB 18 10 8 17 – 53
Forks 19 16 16 13 – 64
Scoring: RSB – Banker 16, Morris 12, Javier Silva 5, Lorton 5, Jayden Silva 4, De Los Santos 4, Mora 3, Morales 2, Ridderbush 2. Forks – T. Rowley 24, Bennett 10, Barajas 8, Foster 7, M. Rowley 5, Coberly 4, Soto 3, Clark 3.
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Other games
Ilwaco 62, North Beach 36
