FORKS — Clallam Bay came to Forks looking to spoil the home team’s senior night shenanigans.
But instead, the Bruins wound up inspiring a career-defining performance by Forks senior shooting guard Colton Raben.
In front of an appreciative crowd of Spartan faithful, Raben netted a game-high and career-high-tying 38 points, dazzling all along the way en route to a 75-50 nonleague victory for the Forks boys basketball team Monday.
“You can tell it was his senior night,” Forks coach Rick Gooding said as he pointed to Raben’s first half stats, which included 24 points.
“But that’s just how he is. If there was one word to describe Colton it would be consistent.”
The first quarter for Forks did not include enough of the consistency that Gooding is so fond of, though.
While Raben got right to work, the Bruins rode the dual hot hands of Kelly Gregory and Clayton Willis and trailed just 22-21 at the conclusion of the initial frame.
“We were just sort of out of synch and played a lot of players out of position,” Gooding said.
“I mean, that whole first quarter, that never should have been.
“But you’ve got to give them [Clallam Bay] all the credit in the world. It’s one thing to say it and another thing entirely to go out and do it.”
Clallam Bay coach Kelly Gregory remembered those first eight minutes fondly.
“We came out blazing a little bit, did we?” Gregory said.
Refusing to take credit for devising some sort of new scheme against a familiar foe, Gregory postulated that perhaps those early results were different because, “We had a completely different lineup than last time.”
Indeed, the injury bug has bitten the Bruins so bad that Monday their roster included a four-headed eighth grade brigade, one freshman, and only a smattering of experience.
Most of that experience came from Bruins senior forward Kelly Gregory, who notched a team-high 23 points.
Eighth-grader Clayton Willis added 16 points and a team-high five rebounds for Clallam Bay.
Raben noticed those fresh faces in the Bruins lineup as well, and agreed that it momentarily threw the Spartans for a loop.
“They had a whole bunch of new players, so we didn’t really know who could do what,” Raben said.
As has been the case for Forks this season, the second quarter was much different than the first.
This time, though, that inconsistency slipped Forks into a higher defensive gear as it stunned and out-gunned the Bruins by a 21-9 clip in that second period.
“We’re kind of on a roller coaster and Parker [Browning] and Colton kind of carry the load for us,” Gooding said.
“When we struggle, the other guys tend to get a little hesitant.”
Hesitancy was not a problem for Forks on this night, however, as 10 players wound up logging notable minutes and seven players put points on the board.
Browning and Marky Adams dutifully executed their roles as Raben’s designated wingmen.
Browning scored 13 points and Adams added eight points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
Bruins coach Gregory said he knew well coming in that Raben was a going to be a player to contend with and admitted that his team’s tactics simply failed to contain the dynamic guard.
“We went diamond and one against him in the second half and sort of slowed him up a little,” said Gregory.
“You’ve almost got to have a spy on him all the time.”
Forks rode the momentum of that tenacious second quarter the rest of the game, outpacing the Bruins 32-20 the rest of the way as more and more Spartans got in on the good times.
Leading the way, as usual, was Raben, who possesses the confidence to consistently launch and connect on shots from well beyond what is considered normal NBA-range.
“No doubt. I’m just conscience of trying to make it a perfect feel every time,” said Raben.
“My dad’s taught me how to put up a perfect shot every time, so I just try to feel it and let it go.”
Gooding was overflowing with positivity for his senior playmaker after the postgame celebrations.
“We’ve been out of it [playoff contention] for a while now, and he’s still just competing,” Gooding said, listing stingy league losses and common practice shoot-arounds as scenarios that Raben undertakes with equal seriousness.
From his perspective, though, Raben says there’s never been a decision for him about how hard to work.
“I’ve just got to be a team leader as a senior,” Raben said.
One thing that managed to catch Raben off guard in his four years of varsity basketball for the Spartans was the standing ovation he received when he was subbed out for the final time in the fourth quarter of Monday night’s game.
Searching in vain for adequate words in the emotional rush of the postgame ceremonies, Raben said, “It was awesome,” before offering up a “big thanks,” to all his parents, team, coaches and fans.
“He’s gonna go somewhere and make either a small four-year or CC [community college] coach really happy,” Gooding said.
“I mean, I don’t care what the level is, coaches love to coach guys like that.
“You can ask him to go and do anything and he says, ‘OK, Coach. Do you mind if I do that as hard as I can?’”
Clallam bay (8-8) plays today at Crescent.
Forks (2-11, 4-13) finishes its season with an Evergreen League tilt at Montesano on Friday.
Forks 75, Clallam Bay 50
Clallam Bay 21 9 11 9— 50
Forks 22 26 16 16— 75
Individual scoring
Clallam Bay (50)
Gregory 23, Willis 16, Signor 4, Wrzesien 3, Keys 2, McCoy 2.
Forks (75)
Raben 38, Browning 13, Adams 8, Palmer 6, Baysinger 6, Ramsey 2, Pegram 2.