Hoquiam won its third straight over Aberdeen as we review Thursday’s girls prep basketball games on the Harbor.
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GIRLS PREP BASKETBALL
Hoquiam 59, Aberdeen 36
Hoquiam turned what was a close game at halftime into a rout to defeat Aberdeen 59-36 in a Myrtle Street Rivalry matchup on Thursday at Hoquiam Square Garden.
The Grizzlies (3-1 overall) and Bobcats (1-1) were knotted up at 12-12 after one quarter and traded barbs throughout the second.
Aberdeen appeared to catch a break early in the second frame when Hoquiam leading-scorer in sophomore forward Aaliyah Kennedy was hit with her third foul with 6:07 to play in the first half.
But with Kennedy on the bench, Aberdeen was unable to regain the lead.
Bobcats junior guard Bentley Brown scored on a runner in the paint to pull Aberdeen within a point at 21-20 with 2:09 on the clock.
PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Aberdeen’s Bentley Brown (22) and Hoquiam’s Sydney Gordon compete for a rebound during the Grizzlies’ 59-36 victory on Thursday at Hoquiam Square Garden.
Hoquiam responded with a free throw from Bethany Betancourth and a baseline drive and layup from freshman Makalah Haskey to over the final two minutes to take a 24-20 lead into the break.
“They came out and hit shots,” Hoquiam head coach Chad Allan said of Aberdeen. “I think our defense held us when the offense wasn’t there. … (Aberdeen) is a tough, strong team. We may have more size, but in strength and effort, they did an awesome job.”
“I think we played well in the first half,” Aberdeen head coach Dan Brown said. “The girls came out hard. I think we missed an opportunity when Aaliyah Kennedy got into foul trouble. We should’ve been able to make a run and didn’t at that point. Credit to Hoquiam. They did a great job.”
After a first half where the Grizzlies struggled to get the ball inside to Kennedy and senior post Sydney Gordon, Allan said the coaching staff made some adjustments at halftime.
“We were getting a little bit more backdoor (cuts) and doing some other types of things, putting Aaliyah and other players in positions where they would have a little more success,” Allan said. “There was a lot of stuff I wanted to run tonight, but when I tried, we just couldn’t do it. So I’m getting smarter. I was just trying to run what I can.”
“We got a good talk from our coach and (Aberdeen) has only had one game and this was our fourth. We’re in better shape and we just have to run, hustle and work our butts off,” Kennedy said. “(Coach Allan) said to go out there, run our plays and we’re going to score. We needed to have high intensity and that’s what we did.”
The strategies worked as with Kennedy back on the floor, the Grizzlies dominated the third quarter.
Hoquiam opened the second half with senior point guard Lexi LaBounty converting a layup on an assist from Kennedy followed by a LaBounty steal and layup.
PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Hoquiam’s Lexi LaBounty (right) steals the ball against Aberdeen’s Kensie Ervin during the Grizzlies’ 59-36 victory on Thursday at Hoquiam High School.
The Grizzlies would cap a 6-0 run and force a Bobcats timeout when Kennedy scored from the low post to take a 30-20 lead at 6:37 of the third quarter.
Aberdeen responded after the timeout with a jumper from junior Sawyer Shoemaker, but Kennedy immediately followed with a three that sparked a 10-0 run, capped by another bucket in the paint from the high-scoring sophomore to put Hoquiam up 39-22 with just under three minutes to play in the third.
Brown would close out the quarter with a three and a basket from the paint sandwiched around a Kennedy free throw as Hoquiam held a comfortable 46-27 lead at the start of the fourth quarter.
“We came out flat and we just didn’t recover,” Brown said. “They put it to us there in the beginning (of the third quarter) and we’ve got to be stronger mentally and take care of the ball. They got the momentum and we couldn’t recapture it.”
That was more than enough of a cushion for Hoquiam, which closed out the scoring with a Gordon bucket in the paint and a jumper from LaBounty to secure the 59-36 victory, the Grizzlies’ third straight win over the Bobcats.
“When we went on a run in that third (quarter), we didn’t have lull,” Allan said. “It was really fun to see them run stuff, get confidence and be happy with each other. … Young teams are a little fragile and that first half was a tough one. But at the same time, we knew we could play better and we were still up. … We just kind of happened to outlast that situation.”
In addition to keying the third-quarter onslaught, Kennedy and LaBounty led the Grizzlies on the stat sheet.
Kennedy led all scorers with 22 points to go along with nine rebounds and three steals while LaBounty had another impressive all-around floor game, scoring 16 points while leading the Grizzlies with seven steals and five assists.
PHOTO BY ADONIS HAMMONDS Hoquiam point guard Lexi LaBounty (2) dribbles around the screen of teammate Sydney Gordon’s pick while Aberdeen’s Kensie Ervin (11) pursues during the Grizzlies’ 59-36 win on Thursday in Hoquiam.
Gordon added 10 points, six rebounds and three steals for the Grizzlies, which shot 25 for 56 from the field (45%) and outrebounded Aberdeen 45-33.
Hoquiam had 21 steals and just 10 turnovers in the game.
“Credit to Hoquiam. They rebounded well and took care of the ball,” Brown said. “It’s a long season. … This is only our second game and we’re in the fourth week of the season. … That’s not an excuse though. (Hoquiam) played well, took care of the ball and executed their game to go inside and we didn’t handle it.”
Aberdeen was led by Brown (13 points), guard Kensie Ervin (10 pts., 5 rebounds) and Shoemaker (5 reb.).
The Bobcats went 13 of 44 from the floor (30%) and had 25 turnovers, 16 of those in the second half.
Aberdeen 12 8 7 9 – 36
Hoquiam 12 12 22 13 – 59
Scoring: Aberdeen – Brown 13, Ervin 10, Baker 4, Knutson 3, Neil 3, Shoemaker 2. Hoquiam – Kennedy 22, LaBounty 16, S. Gordon 10, Brodhead 4, Haksey 4, M. Gordon 2, Betancourth 1.
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Elma 52, Kalama 46
Elma picked up its first win of the season with a 52-46 victory over Kalama on Thursday at Kalama High School.
Coming off what could be best described as an impressive loss to an unbeaten Black Hills team on Tuesday, the Eagles (1-4) offense carried the momentum into Thursday’s matchup against the Chinooks (0-3).
The Eagles were once again led by senior Olivia Moore, who had 20 points in the win two nights after scoring 28 against the Wolves.
The standout guard/forward went 7-for-17 shooting (41%) and had a double-double with 15 rebounds (9 offensive), four steals and three assists.
Sophomore guard Mikayla Roberts had a breakout game with 18 points (7-19), seven steals and five rebounds while sophomore forward Killie Vest added seven points for the Eagles.
Elma shot 31% from the field on 21-of-64 shooting – including 5 of 19 from 3-point range (26%) – had 40 rebounds to 41 for Kalama, and had 14 steals and 17 turnovers in the game.
The Eagles host Aberdeen at 7 p.m. on Monday.
Elma 15 10 13 14 – 52
Kalama 10 12 8 16 – 46
Scoring: Elma – Moore 20, Roberts 18, Vest 7, Tolentino 4, Smith 2, Carter 1. Kalama – Johnson 11,
McBride 8, DiCristina 8, Schlargen 4, Storedahl 4, Bromley 3.
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Napavine 56, Montesano 13
Montesano’s offense struggled in a 56-13 loss to Napavine on Thursday at Napavine High School.
The Bulldogs (1-4) scored no more than six points in any quarter and were shutout in the final period to suffer the loss.
“Not a good game for us,” Montesano head coach Mark Mansfield said. “Napavine is a very experienced, good defensive team. They sped us up, created a number of turnovers and starting hitting some shots. It kind of snowballed from there.”
Monte was led by senior Josie Forster with four points.
Freshman Kamille Vandevender had eight rebounds while sophomore Jordyn Perry recorded three steals for the Bulldogs.
Napavine (3-1) was led by Hayden Kaut’s 20 points.
Montesano committed 48 turnovers in the game and was on the wrong end of a running clock, trailing by as much as 40 points in the second half.
Montesano’s 13 points is the lowest points scored in any game for the Bulldogs over the past 19 seasons.
The Bulldogs have been held under 20 points just twice before during that time span. Montesano lost to Oakville 50-16 back on Feb. 1, 2013 and fell to Elma 67-19 on Jan. 4, 2010.
Monte plays at Bear Creek at 5 p.m. on Thursday.
Montesano 3 6 4 0 – 13
Napavine 16 15 15 10 – 56
Scoring: Montesano – Forster 4, Wintrip 3, Vandevender 2, Busz 2, Dalan 2. Napavine – Kaut 20, Evander 12, Valentine 10, Bittner 7, Ondong 4, Schutz 3.
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Other games
North Beach 56, Lake Quinault 22
