SEQUIM — Sequim sophomore Riley Cowan and his fellow Wolves kept Centralia’s high-scoring senior in check, but the visiting Tigers still managed to come away with a 60-45 non-league win in Sequim on Tuesday.
Hodges Bailey scored 18 points to lead Centralia (4-2) to victory over the Wolves (1-6), pulling away after holding a modest 33-27 lead at halftime.
“We’ve got to be more physical out there (but) I think we showed Centralia we can play some physical ball,” Sequim coach Greg Glasser said.
“Overall I’m proud of the effort. I think we competed. This was a good game for us to have.”
Cowan, whom Glasser has used as a defensive stopper, drew the primary assignment on the high-scoring Bailey, who shot 6-of-15 from the field.
“Obviously we were focused on trying to slow (Hodges) down,” Glasser said. “Riley’s a tough competitor. I thought he did a nice job.”
Cowan was productive on the offensive end as well, tying Payton Glasser for the team lead with 12 points.
After missing a game because of a family commitment, starting point guard Nate Despain added eight points, four assists and four rebounds for the Wolves. He and Cowan each hit two 3-pointers.
Greg Glasser noted that several Port Angeles players were in the stands doing some informal scouting of the Wolves for their Jan. 3 Olympic League showdown. The Roughriders also played Centralia Wednesday (after press deadline).
Before that, however, the Wolves are on the road for two more non-league games over the winter break.
Sequim is in Seattle to take on Archbishop Murphy (4-2) on Dec. 28 and host The Northwest School, an independent, on Dec. 29.
There, the Wolves will look to snap their six-game losing skid.
“I don’t know where these guys are going to be by the end of the year,” Glasser said of his team. “But our motto is we just want to compete and get better. These guys just want to get a win. I don’t blame them.”
Sequim (0-4, 1-6) will play in a tournament against Archbishop Murphy and the Northwest School at the Northwest School starting Wednesday, Dec. 28.
Centralia 60, Sequim 45
Centralia 17 16 10 17— 60
Sequim 16 11 9 9— 45
Centralia (60) — Bailey 18, Ashmore 13, Edwards 12, Pertzborn 7, Shute 6, Trevino 2, Singh 2
Sequim (45) — Cowan 12, Glasser 12, Despain 8, Rollness 5, Whitney 4, Willis 2, Greenlow 2.
Clallam Bay 67, Wishkah Valley 43
ABERDEEN — Clallam Bay’s youthful boys basketball team picked up its second win in as many days in a 67-43 triumph against Wishkah Valley.
“The Super Six, we only have six [players], and three are sophomores and three freshmen,” Bruins coach Kelly Gregory said.
“Once we started putting pressure on them and picking them in the backcourt we started to pull away from them.
“We played together and everybody chipped in.”
Ryan McCoy led Clallam Bay with 24 points, 12 rebounds, five steals and three blocks.
Caiton Smith connected on 8-of-9 free throw attempts and scored 21 points for the Bruins (2-4).
Ramon Tinoco added 13 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
Jamari Signor and Michael Maines each totaled nine rebounds in the win.
“Our posts fouled out early in the fourth quarter, so we played most of it with just four players,” Gregory said.
“My little guards Caiton and Ramon got the ball in against their pressure and passed it around well. They really held their own in the fourth quarter. We made sure to get the ball in Caiton’s hand because we knew he could shoot free throws and he hit all four he took that quarter.”
Gregory said the wins were an important step.
“They needed it to get their spirits back up,” Gregory said.
“Now they they are pumped up.”
Clallam Bay will host the Port Angeles C Squad on Jan. 4.
Clallam Bay 67, Wishkah Valley 43
Clallam Bay 17 16 26 8— 67
Wishkah 9 8 20 6— 43
Clallam Bay (67) — McCoy 24, Smith 21, Tinoco 13, Aldana 6, Signor 3.
Wishkah (43) — W. Fultz 6, M. Fultz 18, Bosell 8, Benton 8, Brenneman 3.
Quilcene 50, Crescent 40
QUILCENE — Slow starts have been an issue for the Loggers, and Tuesday’s road loss to the Rangers was no exception.
Quilcene rolled out to a 20-7 lead after one quarter and Crescent could never catch up in the nonleague contest.
“In the first quarter we weren’t rotating well on defense and gave up a lot of second chance points,” Loggers coach Chris Ferrier said.
“Coupled with that, we didn’t shoot the ball well in the first half at all. We’ve been a slow-starting team in the last couple games and I’ve gotta figure out a way to get us moving a little faster.”
Crescent dealt with foul trouble in the second quarter, but got some productive minutes out of its bench, according to Ferrier.
“At one point we had four freshmen and a sophomore on the floor for about a four-minute stretch,” he said.
“We kept scratching and crawling back in the game, but Quilcene hit a couple of shots to break our rhythm and we weren’t able to get over the hump.”
Robert Comstock led Quilcene with 22 points and Juan Rogers added 10.
Neil Peppard recorded a double-double for the Loggers, shooting 3-of-6 3-point shots on his way to a team high 18 points and 12 rebounds.
“Neil Peppard had a fantastic game,” Ferrier said.
“He was assertive on offense and aggressive on the glass. Wyatt McNeece also had a terrific rebounding effort.”
McNeece had 10 rebounds, four offensive.
The Loggers (0-4) host Lake Quinault today.
Quilcene (1-0, 5-1) will visit Crescent on Wednesday.
Quilcene 50, Crescent 40
Crescent 7 6 19 8— 50
Quilcene 20 9 15 6— 40
Crescent (50) — N. Peppard 18, Spencer 8, Emery 5, Johnson 4, McNeece 3, Peppard 2. Ward, Owens.
Girls Basketball
Quilcene 53, Crescent 11
QUILCENE — Every Ranger on the roster played in a blowout win over the Loggers.
“Real game-time minutes are imperative for player growth and development and we took advantage of that by playing our entire roster,” Quilcene coach Briana Weller said.
“Credit to the Lady Loggers who are building a program and have a new coach. They worked hard for four quarters and their attitudes were positive,” Weller said.
Allison Jones led all scorers with 18 points, and added five steals and four assists for Quilcene.
Katie Love recorded her first double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 boards.
Guard Sydney Brown added nine points, six steals and four rebounds.
Abby Weller had an active game with five points, five rebounds, five steals and four assists.
Thai exchange student Natalia Namjaisuk scored her first basket for the Rangers.
“The girls are coming off a long but successful week with wins against Mary M. Knight, Clallam Bay, and Crescent,” Weller said.
“Our goal is to keep gaining and maintain a consistent and durable level of play now throughout the rest of the season. January is going to be tough with a wall of league games ahead of us, but I believe that these girls can rise to the occasion and be successful.”
The Rangers (0-1, 4-3) will visit Crescent (0-4) on Wednesday.
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Sports reporter/columnist Michael Carman contributed to this report. He can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or at mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.