Here’s a rundown of recent boys prep basketball games on the Harbor.
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BOYS PREP BASKETBALL
Black Hills 56, Hoquiam 48
The Hoquiam Grizzlies learned much about themselves in a 56-48 loss to Black Hills on Friday at Hoquiam High School.
Aside from one bad quarter, Hoquiam (0-2 overall) outscored and arguably outplayed the defending 2A Evergreen League champion Wolves (2-1).
Tied at 18-all after one quarter of play, Hoquiam’s offense fell flat in the second quarter with just two 3-pointers from junior guard Lincoln Niemi to trail 36-24 at halftime.
Hoquiam rallied in the second half, trimming the deficit to two points in the fourth quarter thanks in large part to Niemi’s 12 points in the period and five points from freshman K.J. McCoy.
But despite their efforts, the Grizzlies got no closer to suffer the loss.
“The message was we know we can play with anyone on our schedule,” said Hoquiam head coach Jeff Niemi, who said Black Hills was arguably his team’s toughest test of the season. “This is probably one of the proudest efforts I’ve had since I’ve been back at Hoquiam. … The theme of the night was to raise the level and our kids 100% did. … It was really impressive how the kids battled and played a really good team.”
PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Hoquiam’s Talon Abbott (21) shoots the ball during a 56-48 loss to Black Hills on Friday at Hoquiam High School.
Take away the second quarter and Hoquiam outscored Black Hills 42-38.
The Grizzlies had just 15 turnovers to 17 for the Wolves and shot 38% from the field on 19-of-50 shooting.
“Our defense in the second half was outstanding,” Coach Niemi said. “We were holding them to one shot and we won the turnover margin, which was a big part of our goal because (Black Hills) has been turning people over like crazy.”
The Wolves made 23-of-55 shots (42%), including 3 of 16 from beyond the arc (19%).
Though many of its key players were in foul trouble, the taller, athletic Wolves won the battle on the boards, outrebounding Hoquiam 39-27, including a 14-6 margin on the offensive glass.
Niemi finished with a game-high 27 points to go along with eight rebounds and a pair of steals.
Grizzlies senior Joey Bozich had 12 points, four rebounds and three steals while centers Talan Abbott (6 rebounds, 3 assists) and Nite Turpin (4 reb., steal) – playing in just his second regulation basketball game since middle school – were credited by Coach Niemi for their defensive performances on Friday.
“They were outsized and battled all night,” he said.
Black Hills 18 18 6 14 – 56
Hoquiam 18 6 9 15 – 48
Scoring: Black Hills – Q. Morrill 21, Morgan 14, Robertson 6, Faught 6, Burgess 5, T. Morrill 4. Hoquiam – Niemi 27, Bozich 12, McCoy 7, Abbott 2.
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Elma 53, Raymond-South Bend 32
Elma won its second game to start the season with a 53-32 victory over Raymond-South Bend on Friday in South Bend.
Despite a sub-par offensive performance, the Eagles defense held the Ravens (0-2) to 10 points or less in each quarter and a 22% shooting night (11-50) to earn the victory.
“Ugly, ugly, ugly on offense,” said Elma head coach Matt Ferrier, whose team scored just nine points in the first quarter before settling in. “Pretty selfish to start the game. Fixed that by moving the ball, but then the lid was on the bucket.”
The Eagles made 23-of-63 shots (37%) – including just 1 of 14 from 3-point range (7%) – and held a 47-31 rebounding advantage, including 17-7 on the offensive boards.
“Thought we rebounded well and controlled the paint,” Ferrier said. “And we got a good spark off the bench from Trey Yeager (2 rebounds, steal) and Cole Niemi (5 points, 2 rebounds, assist).”
Elma senior Isaac McGaffey led the way with 21 points on 9-of-18 shooting (50%) to go along with 10 rebounds, five assists and a pair of steals.
Senior Dylan Myer scored nine points and grabbed nine rebounds for Elma.
RSB was led by Carson Ridderbush with 11 points and Tanner Morris with six rebounds.
“We played with heart and effort tonight,” Ravens head coach Jon Schray said. “Elma was just too big and executed their defense well. Our student section was top notch tonight, loud for us the whole game.”
Elma faces Black Hills at 7 p.m. on Monday in Tumwater.
The Ravens host Willapa Valley at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday at Raymond High School.
Elma 9 18 13 13 – 53
RSB 4 10 8 10 – 32
Scoring: Elma – McGaffey 21, Myer 9, Moe 6, Landstrom 6, Niemi 5, Muir 4, Moreno 2. RSB – Ridderbush 11, Lorton 7, Mora 5, Schray 3, Banker 3, Morales 2, Morris 1.
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Montesano 66, Seton Catholic 59
Montesano continued its impressive early-season performance with a 66-59 victory over Seton Catholic on Friday in Vancouver.
The Bulldogs (3-0 overall) started hot, scoring 20 points in the first quarter on 8-of-16 shooting (50%), including a 3-pointer each from guard Colton Grubb, Terek Gunter and Ryan Weidman.
But the Cougars (1-1) stayed close, trailing Monte 35-29 at the half.
“Kids came out ready to go and a great first quarter helped us out a ton. Our energy in every aspect of the game, whether on the court or on the bench, was infectious and we all felt it,” Montesano head coach Shaydon Farmer said. “I was nervous we were going to come out flat after a two-plus hour bus drive and watching two games in the stands, but they turned it on from the start.”
The Bulldogs extended the lead to 12 by the end of the third quarter thanks in large part to forward Mason Fry, who scored nine of his 14 points in the frame.
Despite Seton Catholic scoring 19 points to trim the deficit in the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs defense held to earn a key win on the road.
”I’m proud of our guys for staying composed when Seton hit some shots in the final couple minutes and not folding,” Farmer said. “Shows a lot about their maturity on the floor.”
Monte’s Caden Grubb led the way with a game-best 29 points and a double-double with 16 rebounds.
In addition to Caden Grubb and Fry, Gunter also finished in double digits with 10 points and “played great defense tonight,” according to Farmer.
“Very proud of him for taking that challenge and executing beautifully,” the head coach said of his senior guard.
Weidman added four steals while Gunter dished out four assists for the Bulldogs.
Montesano has another non-league road test when it takes on Rainier at 7 p.m. Monday at Rainier High School.
Montesano 20 15 17 14 – 66
Seton Catholic 15 14 11 19 – 59
Scoring: Montesano – Ca. Grubb 29, Fry 14, Gunter 10, Weidman 7, Co. Grubb 4. SC – Deochand 23, Carlston 12, Crabtree 9, Jayne 8, K. Nguyen 4, Q. Nguyen 3.
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Muckleshoot Tribal 56, Willapa Valley 53
Willapa Valley suffered its first defeat of the season in a 56-53 loss on Friday in Auburn.
The Vikings (2-1) struggled to find their offense, trailing 30-23 at the half and falling further behind after being on the wrong side of a 13-8 third quarter.
Valley rallied to score 22 points in the fourth quarter, cutting the Kings’ lead to just two points with approximately one minute to play.
But a costly turnover and foul led to a Muckleshoot 3-point play to seal the Vikings’ fate.
“We really struggled on both ends of the floor tonight,” Valley head coach Derek Rask said. “Lots of self-inflicted mistakes.”
Valley junior point guard Lucas Lusk led Valley with 17 points while senior guard Blane King and junior forward Brody Aust scored 13 and 11 points, respectively.
Junior guard Max Jarvis led the Vikings with eight rebounds.
Valley plays at Raymond-South Bend at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday at Raymond High School.
Willapa Valley 11 12 8 22 – 53
Muckleshoot Tribal 17 13 12 14 – 56
Scoring: WV – Lusk 17, King 13, Aust 11, Jarvis 7, Russell 5.
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PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Hoquiam senior Joey Bozich shoots a 3-pointer during a 56-48 loss to Black Hills on Friday at Hoquiam High School.
Hoquiam 62, Shelton 52
One day after a defeat at the hands of the Black Hills Wolves, Hoquiam responded with a 62-52 victory over Shelton on Saturday at Hoquiam Square Garden.
The Grizzlies (1-2) picked up their first win of the season after a second-half comeback that turned around a 27-21 halftime deficit, after the Highclimbers (1-2) made 13 2-point field goals in the first half.
“It was a really unique challenge because we went from playing a really up-tempo, guard-oriented team to a team that pounds the ball inside,” Hoquiam head coach Jeff Neimi said. “Our big adjustment was to do our jobs. We work on how to play interior posts quite a bit, so we started to do our job there.”
Hoquiam seized the lead with a dominant third quarter, outscoring Shelton 21-11 on the performances of guards Joey Bozich and Lincoln Niemi, who had 11 and 10 points points in the frame, respectively.
The Grizzlies rode the momentum through the fourth quarter, scoring 20 points in large part due to freshman K.J. McCoy, who had 12 of his 14 points in the period.
“I told the kids at halftime that we have had great quarters this year, but we have not had a big quarter where we take a big margin,” Coach Niemi said. “That was awesome that we were able to win those two quarters – one being a 10-point margin – to kind of seal the deal.”
Coach Niemi said his team’s ability to hit some shots allowed for the Grizzlies to get into their press defense, which was key to turning the game around in the second half.
“That kind of bugged them a little bit,” he said. “And we also rebounded better.”
Hoquiam was minus-7 on the offensive boards in the first half but plus-3 in the second half.
The Grizzlies were outrebounded 34-24 (12-8 offensive) and shot 42% from the field on 12-of-32 shooting, including 10 of 21 from the 3-point line (48%).
Niemi led the Grizzlies with 22 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Bozich (17 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals) and McCoy (14 pts., reb., 3 stl.) also finished in double figures for Hoquiam.
The Grizzlies also played a clean game with just 10 turnovers to 18 for Shelton.
Hoquiam point guard Ryker Maxfield had four assists and three steals without a turnover in the game.
PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Hoquiam guard Ryker Maxfield shoots during a 56-48 loss to Black Hills on Friday at Hoquiam High School.
Grizzlies guard Ethan Byron (4 reb., 2 ast.) was also credited by Coach Niemi for his defensive performance and “was rock-solid with some sky-high rebounds from the guard position.”
Hoquiam takes on Forks at 7 p.m. Monday at Forks High School.
Shelton 15 12 11 14 – 52
Hoquiam 11 10 21 20 – 62
Scoring: Shelton – Henry 19, Phipps 17, Myers 8, Gaad 6, Cunningham 2. Hoquiam – Niemi 22, Bozich 17, McCoy 14, Maxfield 7, Abbott 2.
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Pe Ell 52, Ocosta 41
A slow start doomed Ocosta in a 52-41 loss to Pe Ell on Saturday in Westport.
The Wildcats (0-3) trailed 20-10 after Pe Ell (2-1) opened the game hot in the first quarter, paced by Blake Nelson’s nine points.
Ocosta’s defense held the Trojans to just two field goals in a 10-6 second quarter to trim the halftime deficit to 25-20 and crept closer by winning the third quarter 15-12, led by post Sonny Beard’s nine points in the frame.
But the Wildcats offense went cold in the fourth quarter, scoring just six points to suffer their third-straight loss to enter the season.
“Well, it was another learning lesson for my young Wildcat squad tonight,” Ocosta head coach Jason Quinby said. “Pe Ell cam out with a ton of intensity and pressured us from the get go and in the first quarter we really had a tough time getting anything going or stopping Pe Ell from getting the looks they wanted on offense.”
Beard had a monster game with 20 points on 9-of-20 shooting (45%) and 24 rebounds.
Logan White added eight points for Ocosta, which had 23 turnovers as a team.
“Overall, I was happy with the progress we made tonight and started to see glimpses of the team we can be,” Quinby said. “I’ve struggled to see that in the first two games, but it was there tonight.”
Ocosta hosts Lake Quinault in a 1B Coastal League opener at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
Pe Ell 20 6 12 14 – 52
Ocosta 10 10 15 6 – 41
Scoring: Pe Ell – Nelson 16, Howard 10, McGrath 6, Morales 5, Harris 5, Mason 4, Edgar 2. Ocosta – Beard 20, White 8, Priest 6, Asby 5.
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Other games
North Beach 58, Northwest Christian 27
Clallam Bay 63, Taholah 62
Quilcene 64, Lake Quinault 30
