Hoquiam moved into a first-place tie in the 1A Evergreen League as we review Tuesday’s Twin Harbors prep basketball games.
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GIRLS PREP BASKETBALL
Hoquiam 51, Elma 38
Hoquiam surged in the second half to beat Elma 51-38 on Tuesday at Elma High School.
The Grizzlies (13-7 overall, 6-1 1A Evergreen) and Eagles (6-8, 4-3) played it close to the vest in the first half.
Elma held a 10-8 lead at the end of the first quarter thanks to a pair of free throws from freshman guard Mercedes Carter with 15 seconds left in the frame.
The Eagles had its biggest lead of the game when star senior guard/forward Olivia Moore scored on an offensive rebound to open the second frame followed by a bucket from freshman forward Emma Gonzales to put Elma up 14-8, its largest lead of the game.
Hoquiam followed with a 7-0 run, taking a 15-14 lead when standout sophomore forward Aaliyah Kennedy scored in the low post off an entry pass from senior guard Lexi LaBounty with 4:30 left in the first half.
Elma would regain the lead on a basket by junior guard Kenna Monroe followed by a three from sharpshooting sophomore guard Mikayla Roberts to go up 19-17 at the 3:31 mark.
PHOTO BY MIKE ROBERTS Elma guard Mikayla Roberts (5) hits a 3-pointer during a 51-38 loss to Hoquiam on Tuesday at Elma High School.
A bucket in the paint from Hoquiam senior post Sydney Gordon followed by another Kennedy basket in the paint off a LaBounty assist put the Grizzlies up 21-19 at halftime.
Despite foul trouble for Kennedy and LaBounty, the Grizzlies continued to attack the basket in the third quarter, and it paid dividends.
Hoquiam stretched its lead to double digits with a 10-2 run to open the third quarter, taking a 31-21 lead on a Kennedy drive and score in the paint with 4:40 on the clock.
After a Moore steal and layup, the Grizzlies took an 11-point lead on a Kennedy three, and a pair of Kennedy free throws had Hoquiam ahead 36-24 with just over two minutes to go in the third.
But the upstart Eagles wouldn’t go away as Moore relentless work on the offensive glass turned into a putback bucket at the buzzer to close out the third quarter with the Grizzlies up 36-26.
PHOTO BY MIKE ROBERTS Elma’s Olivia Moore (33) slices through the Hoquiam defense to score two of her team-high 18 points in a 51-38 loss on Tuesday in Elma.
Another Roberts three to open the final frame had Elma back within double digits and, after a Gordon basket, the Eagles once again trimmed the deficit to seven when Moore hit two free throws to make it a 38-31 game with 5:41 to play.
Once again, Hoquiam had a response.
Gordon’s kickout pass from the low post found Kennedy, who buried a three to put Hoquiam back up by double digits at 41-31.
Gordon followed with a pair of free throws to stake Hoquiam to a 43-31 lead with 3:31 on the clock.
Elma would cut the lead to 11 three times down the stretch, with the Grizzlies answering every time to keep the Eagles at arm’s length and come away with an important 51-38 1A Evergreen League victory.
“We just knew we had to finish the game,” Kennedy said. “We couldn’t give up. We had to keep that lead and keep playing how we know to play.”
Kennedy led all scorers with 28 points, scoring on multiple drives to the basket as well as stop-and-pop jump shots.
The league-MVP candidate scored 11 points in the Grizzlies’ definitive third-quarter performance and had a team-high 15 rebounds to complete the double-double.
“We knew we had to do something. We needed to take a lead,” Kennedy said of her team’s third-quarter blitz. “We came out, knew what we had to do and took over. That was our plan. … We got told (at halftime) to find the gap. We did that and it worked.”
RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Hoquiam guard Lexi LaBounty (2) drives to the hoop against Elma’s Killie Vest during the Grizzlies’ 51-38 win on Tuesday at Elma High School.
“It was a great effort by everybody tonight against an inspired Elma team,” said Hoquiam head coach Chad Allan, whose said his halftime message to the team was mostly about confidence. “We were doing some great things, we were just bobbling the ball and hurting ourselves with turnover and not attacking the hoop like we wanted to. … We just weren’t in a flow at all in the first half and then we got in a little foul situation, so we had to adjust our defense. … The main message was to keep doing what we were doing and being confident.”
Gordon (12 points, 10 rebounds) also had a double-double while LaBounty (11 pts., 4 assists, 4 steals) also finished in double digits as Hoquiam’s lone three scorers in the game.
Brodhead added four rebounds, four assists and four steals for Hoquiam, which went 20 of 49 from the field (41%).
Hoquiam had 14 turnovers to 19 for Elma.
The Eagles were led by Moore, who had a double-double with 18 points on 6-of-15 shooting (40%) and 12 rebounds.
Roberts added nine points and a team-best three assists for an Eagles team that shot 26% from the field (13-50 FG) and made 9-of-14 free throws (64%).
“I thought we came out with great intensity in the first half,” Elma head coach Brandi Henry said. “We came out flat in the third quarter and dug ourselves a hole. Hoquiam came out ready to play, hit a few threes and it was hard to come out of that. … They were able to convert off our turnovers and we’ve got to make lay-ins.”
RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Hoquiam guard Avery Brodhead (1) steals the ball away from Elma senior Olivia Moore during the Grizzlies’ 51-38 win on Tuesday at Elma High School.
With the win, Hoquiam moved into a first-place tie with Montesano for the top spot in the 1A Evergreen League with one game left for each on the schedule.
“Huge win,” Allan said. “This was a game I was nervous about. … Elma is right there. This was a big game for us to be seeded in our league. There was a lot of pressure that way. … I think we’ve matured a lot throughout the year. To be able to have that fourth quarter and not get down or overly frustrated throughout the game when things weren’t going well. We took advantage of things that were open. … We weren’t trying to do things to just hope we win. We were just playing basketball and that opened things up.”
Hoquiam hosts Rochester in its league finale at 6 p.m. on Thursday and will finish as either the No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the league.
Elma, which is locked into the league’s No. 3 spot, can play spoiler when it closes out league play against Montesano at 7 p.m. on Thursday in Elma.
Hoquiam 8 13 15 15 – 51
Elma 10 9 7 12 – 38
Scoring: Hoquiam – Kennedy 28, S. Gordon 12, LaBounty 11. Elma – Moore 18, Roberts 9, Carter 4, Gonzales 3, Tolentino 2, Monroe 2.
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Tumwater 87, Aberdeen 34
Aberdeen lost to Tumwater 87-34 in a Senior Night matchup on Tuesday in Aberdeen.
The Bobcats (3-14, 0-9 2A Evergreen) struggled against the Thunderbirds (12-8, 6-3), trailing 48-22 by halftime as Aberdeen struggled to keep Tumwater off the glass.
Tumwater had 12 made 3-pointers in the game which was one more than Aberdeen’s total shots made from the field.
The Bobcats went 11 of 42 from the floor (26%) and made 10-of-17 free throws (59%).
The Bobcats were led by junior guard Sophie Knutson with 13 points.
Aberdeen honored seniors Maddi Ritter, Mae Mae Monaghan and Allie O’Lague on Senior Night.
”I would like to give a huge shout out to our three seniors for their commitment to the program. I have truly enjoyed each one of them and the memories we’ve created,” Aberdeen head coach Dan Brown said. “(Aberdeen guard) Bentley Brown had some highlight-reel passes. Sophie Knutson continued to drive and finish at the hoop. Sawyer Shoemaker rebounded like a champ and Madi Ritter continued to bring positive energy and a contagious smile.”
Aberdeen closes out its season against Black Hills at 7 p.m. on Thursday at Black Hills High School.
Tumwater 22 26 24 15 – 87
Aberdeen 11 11 10 2 – 34
Scoring: Tumwater – Williams 22. Aberdeen – Knutson 13, Brown 5, Shoemaker 5, Ervin 5, C. Kohn 2, Baker 2, Ritter 2.
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Other games
Raymond-South Bend 64, Ilwaco 13
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BOYS PREP BASKETBALL
Tumwater 73, Aberdeen 33
Aberdeen fell behind early and never recovered in a 73-33 league loss to Tumwater on Tuesday in Tumwater.
The Bobcats (8-11, 3-6 3A Evergreen) fell behind 14-2 after one quarter of play and trailed 34-15 by halftime to the Thunderbirds (18-1, 9-0).
Aberdeen was led by senior Jhacob Quezada, who scored 14 points on 4-of-10 shooting (40%) and 4-of-6 from the free-throw line (66%).
Ben Birch added eight points and grabbed a team-high five rebounds for the Bobcats.
The Bobcats shot 23% from the field on 11-of-47 shooting and hit 9-of-12 free throws (75%).
Aberdeen committed 18 turnovers as a team.
With the loss, Aberdeen sits in a three-way tie for third place in the 2A Evergreen Conference with Shelton and W.F. West and had its current losing streak extended to seven games.
Aberdeen closes out its league schedule against Black Hills at 7 p.m. on Friday in Aberdeen.
Aberdeen 2 13 9 9 – 33
Tumwater 14 20 22 17 – 73
Scoring: Aberdeen – Quezada 14, Birch 8, Garcia 5, Raya 4, Hogan 2.
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Other games
Ocosta 48, Naselle 47
