Prep Basketball Roundup: Ocosta beats Raymond-South Bend in overtime thriller

Also: A healthier Hoquiam beats Sultan; Aberdeen girls surge past Rochester for victory

Ocosta defeated Raymond-South Bend in an overtime thriller as we review Wednesday’s Twin Harbors prep basketball games.

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BOYS PREP BASKETBALL

Ocosta 73, Raymond-South Bend 68

Ocosta outlasted Raymond-South Bend for a 73-68 overtime victory on Wednesday at Raymond High School.

With Ocosta (5-3 overall) leading 64-61 late in the game, Raymond-South Bend (0-4) sent the game into overtime on a clutch three from senior point guard Carson Ridderbush at the end of regulation sent the game into overtime.

The Ravens took a 66-64 lead on a basket by senior guard Chris Banker, but the Wildcats would later regain the lead when sophomore Luis Solis hit a 3-pointer with under a minute left.

After a Ravens miss on a game-tying three, Wildcats point guard Bryce Bottleson sunk two free throws to secure the victory.

“I think the farthest anyone could get a lead was about five points. Any time one team would get a run, it was quickly snuffed out,” said Ocosta head coach Jason Quinby, whose team led 32-28 at the half and throughout the majority of the game. “Overall, I thought my guys handled their first intense finish on varsity at an away venue very well. … Proud of my guys for not losing their composure and finishing the game tonight with confidence.”

Bottleson led all scorers with a career-high 24 points to go along with nine rebounds and four assists.

Solis scored 18 points while sophomore post Sonny Beard had a double-double with 15 points and 15 rebounds while facing a double team most of the night.

“We were able to put together some of the best basketball we have played so far this season, but we fell short of our first win in overtime,” RSB head coach Jon Schray said. “I feel that tonight we took a big step toward the kind of team we will be this season.”

The Ravens were led by junior wing Tanner Morris with 17 points while Ridderbush (15 points), Banker (15 points) and senior post Aaron Somero (10 points) also scored in double figures for RSB.

The Wildcats shot 47% from the field on 20-of-60 shooting and 11 of 18 from the free-throw line (61%).

The Ravens went 27 for 68 from the floor (40%) and made 7-of-18 free throws (39%).

RSB plays at Tenino at 6:45 p.m. on Friday.

Ocosta hosts Hoquiam at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 6.

Ocosta 16 16 18 14 9 – 73

RSB 14 14 18 18 4 – 68

Scoring: Ocosta – Bottleson 24, Solis 18, Beard 15, Priest 6, Dungey 6, White 4. RSB – Morris 17, Banker 15, Ridderbush 15, Somero 10, Lorton 5, Silva 5, Sanchez Martinez 1.

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Hoquiam 71, Sultan 53

Hoquiam benefited from several key players returning to the lineup in a 71-53 win over Sultan on Wednesday at Hoquiam High School.

Grizzlies Ryker Maxfield, K.J. McCoy and Nite Turpin returned to the lineup after missing the past few games – Maxfield and McCoy with illness and Turpin with an injury – and combined for 28 points and 10 rebounds.

Their presence also helped lessen the load of Hoquiam’s junior star guard Lincoln Niemi, who had a solid all-around floor game with 26 points, nine rebounds, six assists and two steals.

“It was great to have them back in,” Hoquiam head coach Jeff Niemi said. “We weren’t at full strength because we have a couple of guys out, but it was nice to get those guys back.”

The Grizzlies (2-4) led by 11 after one quarter thanks in large part to McCoy’s six points and balanced scoring, with five Grizzlies scoring a field goal in the period.

Leading 35-24 at the half, Hoquiam extended its lead with a 19-point third quarter, led by Niemi, who scored eight points and went 6 for 8 from the free-throw line in the frame.

Hoquiam held its lead throughout the fourth quarter thanks to three 3-pointers, two from senior guard Joey Bozich and another from Niemi, to earn the 71-53 victory over the 2A-class Turks (2-5).

Four Grizzlies scored in double figures as McCoy (18 points), Bozich (11) and Maxfield (10) joined Niemi with 10 points or more in the game.

Sophomore forward Talan Abbott also had a good all-around performance with a team-best 10 rebounds, four assists and a steal for the Grizzlies.

Hoquiam shot 49% from the field on 26-of-53 shooting, including 7 of 18 from beyond the arc (39%), and converted 12-of-26 free throws (46%).

“We had our best night shooting from two by far all year,” said Coach Niemi, whose team went 19 of 35 from inside the arc (54%). “That’s pretty encouraging.”

The Grizzlies outrebounded Sultan 39-30 (17-12 offensive) and had 18 assists as a team.

An area of concern for Hoquiam was committing 29 turnovers against Sultan, which ran an aggressive trap defense from the second quarter on.

“We turned the ball over too many times,” Coach Niemi said. “That’s their game and that’s how they play and we knew that, we just didn’t handle it as well as we could. But when we did break their pressure, we found wide-open teammates.”

Sultan 6 18 13 16 – 53

Hoquiam 17 18 19 17 – 71

Scoring: Sultan – Ruiz 22, Kelso 8, Sargent 7, Swanson 6, Stewert 4, Ayodeji 3, Orden 3, French 1, Whitmarsh 1. Hoquiam – Niemi 26, McCoy 18, Bozich 11, Maxfield 10, Byron 4, Abbott 2.

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GIRLS PREP BASKETBALL

Aberdeen 41, Rochester 34

Aberdeen beat Rochester for the second time this season with a 41-34 win on Wednesday at Rochester High School.

The Bobcats (2-1) struggled to find much offense in the first half, scoring eight points in the first quarter and managed a lone field goal from junior guard Sophie Knutson in the second to trail the Warriors (2-6) 14-10 at halftime.

But the Aberdeen offense found its game in the third quarter. After just one fast-break opportunity in the first half, the Bobcats’ transition game got going after the break.

Bobcats junior guard Bentley Brown opened the half with a corner three followed by a bucket from Knutson off a steal and assist from junior guard Kensie Ervin to give Aberdeen the lead.

Junior Sawyer Shoemaker then found Irvin for a three to extend the Bobcats’ lead.

The Cats closed the third with a Brown three followed by a steal and coast-to-coast layup from Knutson to go up 28-18 heading to the final quarter of play.

The Bobcats were able to hold the lead throughout the fourth frame to earn its second win over Rochester this season.

“We were stingy with the ball and only committed nine turnovers,” Aberdeen head coach Dan Brown said. “We moved the ball well, which created the shot opportunities we were looking for. We continue to improve each day and our bench energy was amazing.”

Knutson led Aberdeen with 16 points, 14 of those in the second half.

Brown scored 15 points while Shoemaker had a team-high 11 rebounds in the game.

Irvin had six points, nine rebounds, three assists and three steals for the Bobcats, which shot 15 of 53 from the field (28%) and 6 of 17 from the free-throw line (35%).

Aberdeen plays at Montesano at 4:30 p.m. on Monday.

Aberdeen 8 2 18 13 – 41

Rochester 9 5 4 16 – 34

Scoring: Aberdeen – Knutson 16, Brown 15, Irvin 6, Shoemaker 4. Rochester – Hoover 19, Rodriguez 6, Dupont 5, Hines 3, Wilkins 1.

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Other games

Morton-White Pass 55, Willapa Valley 22