PORT ANGELES — Port Townsend basketball teammates Detrius Kelsall and Berkley Hill had remarkably similar statistics in leading the Port Townsend Redhawks to an undefeated season in the Olympic 1A League.
And because they were so close, they were named the co-MVPs of the Olympic 1A Boys Basketball League.
How close were they? Hill averaged 17.0 points a game for Port Townsend, while Kelsall averaged 16.9.
Kelsall, who played forward and got more re-bounding opportunities, averaged nine rebounds, 4.2 assists and 3.8 steals a game. Hill had 3.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 3.2 steals a game.
It was Kelsall’s second Olympic 1A MVP honor in a row. He won it all alone in 2016. It was also Hill’s second MVP of the year. He won the Olympic 1A MVP in football earlier this school year.
The two outside snipers took turns literally all year leading the Redhawks in points. Hill had one game in which he hit eight 3-pointers, Kelsall had a game in which he hit six 3-pointers. At the end of the year, their scoring averages ended up virtually identical.
“They both had really good seasons,” said Port Townsend coach Tom Webster. Webster said Hill made a “phenomenal jump” between his junior and senior years.
Webster said the teammates didn’t go easy on each other during practice.
“When they’d compete against each other, they’d really go at each other,” he said.
But, once the game started, they didn’t are who led the team in scoring. “We didn’t are who scored the points. They were great teammates,” Webster said.
Webster said they continue to come into the weight room to work out at 6 a.m. even though basketball is over, showing the level of commitment they had.
“They were a pleasure to coach,” he said.
Kelsall and Hill helped lead the Redhawks to an Olympic 1A League title and a perfect record in league at 9-0. Port Townsend finished the season with a 15-6 record.
“When you finish undefeated, I don’t care what league you’re in. That’s always a memory,” Webster said.
Also making the 1A All-League first team was Kelsall and Hill’s teammate Kaiden Parcher and Aiden Hartnett of Chimacum. Parcher made the Olympic 1A All-League team for the second year in a row.
Webster was also named the coach of the year for the league.
Complete Olympic 1A League All-league selections:
MVP
Detrius Kelsall, Port Townsend; Berkley Hill, Port Townsend
Coach of the Year
Tom Webster, Port Townsend
Sportsmanship
Klahowya
First-team All-League
Hunter Smith, Coupeville; John Hartford, Klahowya; Kaiden Parcher, Port Townsend; Gabe Wynn, Coupeville; Aiden Hartnett, Chimacum