Hoquiam and Elma’s stars shined bright this weekend as we review boys prep basketball games on the Harbor.

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BOYS PREP BASKETBALL

Hoquiam 69, Steliacoom 52

Hoquiam’s Lincoln Niemi surpassed a significant career milestone in leading the Grizzlies to a 69-52 win over Steliacoom on Saturday at Hoquiam High School.

Needing 14 points to reach 1,000 for his prep career, the high-scoring junior guard became the fifth Grizzly in school history to do so with a 3-pointer in the second quarter.

“I told the kids in the locker room, ‘It’s certainly a big accomplishment for an individual, but you can’t put away the aspect that it’s a team accomplishment too,’” Hoquiam head coach Jeff Niemi said about his son’s achievement. “There are many assists, many screens set, many rebounds and passes back out over the years.”

Lincoln was presented with a commemorative ball to honor the moment and posed for photos with his family and teammates.

PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Hoquiam junior Lincoln Niemi (middle) is flanked by his parents Aubra (left) and Jeff Niemi after becoming the fifth Grizzly to eclipse 1,000 points during a 69-52 win over Steliacoom on Saturday at Hoquiam High School.

According to his father and head coach, it was a goal the Grizzlies star guard had his eyes on since grade school.

“This was a goal Lincoln set when he was probably seven years old, when he found out what it meant to score 1,000 points,” Coach Niemi said. “He spent a lot of time in empty gyms to get these accomplishments in crowded gyms. We’re very proud of him. Great kid and he’s working very hard and is having a great all-around junior season.”

The Grizzlies (4-5 overall) got off to a good start with a 24-point first quarter, with five different players scoring a field goal and led by Lincoln Niemi’s 12 points to lead by 11.

After the Sentinels (0-9) trimmed the Hoquiam lead to four at 36-32 at halftime, the Grizzlies extended its advantage back up to double digits in the third thanks to eight points from Niemi and six from freshman K.J. McCoy.

In the fourth frame, the Grizzlies would convert 6-of-7 free throws to secure the victory, the third in four games for Hoquiam after starting the season 1-4.

The Grizzlies shot 44% from the field on 27-of-61 shooting and took care of the ball with 14 turnovers in the game.

Steliacoom went 18 for 54 from the field (33%) and made 14-of-23 free throws (50%).

“I think our offense was really strong,” Coach Niemi said. “The defense in the first half wasn’t quite up to par with what we are trying to do. (Steliacoom) had 32 at the half, which we thought was too many with how we are trying to play. … We really did a better job in the second half stopping their inside game.”

Lincoln Niemi scored a game-high 32 points and had a double-double with 11 rebounds.

McCoy provided a spark with 16 points and had a solid floor game with six assists and six steals.

“K.J. McCoy had an awesome all-around game,” Coach Niemi said. “Probably the best game of his young career.”

PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Hoquiam freshman K.J. McCoy (22) glides in for two of his 16 points during a 69-52 win over Steliacoom on Saturday at Hoquiam High School.

Guard Ryker Maxfield added five assists and six steals for a Grizzlies team that had 21 steals in the game.

Lincoln Niemi is just the fifth player in Hoquiam’s boys basketball program to surpass 1,000 points and is currently at 1,018.

Jack Adams, who graduated in 2017, is the all-time leading scorer with 1,645 points.

Hoquiam hosts Seton Catholic at 6:45 p.m. on Tuesday.

Steliacoom 13 19 8 12 – 52

Hoquiam 24 12 16 17 – 69

Scoring: Steliacoom – Thompson 15, Kaaka 9, Gill 9, Jourdan 7, Mukiea 5, Cordan 2, Cody 2, Lewis 2, Roberts 2. Hoquiam – Niemi 32, McCoy 16, Abbott 6, Bozich 6, Maxfield 5, Byron 4.

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Elma 65, Kalama 45

Elma returned to the Evergreen State with a 65-45 win over Kalama on Saturday at Elma High School.

Coming off a three-game pre-Christmas trip to Seaside, Oregon, the Eagles (5-5) jumped out to a 12-point lead by halftime against the Chinooks (6-3).

The Eagles extended their lead to 21 points by the end of the third quarter after holding a good Kalama offense to just eight points apiece in the second and third frames.

“We just held a very good offensive team to 45 points. What an incredible effort on the defensive end. Its pretty encouraging to see our commitment to that side of the ball,” Eagles head coach Matt Ferrier said. “We played a pretty solid game of basketball. Offensively, we shared the ball and defensively we stopped the ball. That’s a rewarding win for us on Christmas break. You never know what to expect on holiday break. Our kids stayed committed to their routine and regimen and it showed.”

Elma shot 53% from the filed on 27-of-51 shooting, including 6-of-11 from beyond the arc (55%), and had 29 rebounds (4 offensive), and 13 assists to 12 turnovers as a team.

Senior standout Isaac McGaffey led the Eagles with 24 points on 10-of-16 shooting (63%) to go along with six rebounds, four assists, two steals and a blocked shot.

Elma senior guard Tanner Moe had a team-high 11 rebounds, four assists and a steal while sophomore guard JanCarlos Moreno added 13 points, two rebounds and two steals for the Eagles.

The Eagles have a Grays Harbor County feature matchup against Aberdeen at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Sam Benn Gymnasium in Aberdeen.

Kalama 10 8 8 19 – 45

Elma 14 16 17 18 – 65

Scoring: Elma – McGaffey 24, Moreno 13, Niemi 5, Webb 5, Myer 5, Muir 4, Moe 4, Griensewic 3, Aguilar 2.