JOYCE — Crescent earned its first boys basketball win over Neah Bay in many years in a 43-40 triumph Friday night.
“Our kids held their composure defensively,” Loggers coach Chris Ferrier said. “We were fortunate to get some stops defensively after we missed all of our 1-and-1 [free throw] opportunities down the stretch.
“We were excited until I reminded them its just one game and we have a lot more to play.”
Gabe Ritchie led the way with 18 points for the Loggers and also was active on the offensive and defensive glass.
“He had a huge game, a double-double easily, Ferrier said.
“I didn’t want to take him out of the game but he was so gassed. He was playing the full 94 feet [the length of a regulation basketball court]. “
Ferrier said Ritchie came on strong in the third quarter, just when Crescent needed a boost.
“He had 10 of our 14 points in the third quarter,” Ferrier said. “The third quarter has been a bugaboo for us at times this season and Gabe wouldn’t allow it. He got some buckets and was the middle guy in our press break.”
Brendan Bergstrom hit three crucial 3-point baskets in the final quarter to keep Neah Bay at bay.
“Bergstrom wasn’t shooting very well but every time Neah Bay would start nudging closer to us, he’d hit a three,” Ferrier said.
Ferrier said the last few minutes of the game were pretty ugly offensively, but he was proud of his squad for finding the will to win defensively.
The two teams will meet two more times this season — at Neah Bay on Friday and back at Crescent on Feb. 5.
“We have to understand that the last two matchups with them are going to be tough,” Ferrier said.
Captain Claplanhoo and Julian Carrick led the Red Devils with 11 points apiece.
Crescent 43, Neah Bay 40
Chimacum 10 8 10 12— 40
Crescent 11 6 14 12— 43
Neah Bay (40) — Horejsi 3, Soeneke 9, Croy 2, Claplanhoo 11, Carrick 11, Martinez 4.
Crescent (43) — Ritchie 18, Bergstrom 14, Emery 5, Farrel 4, Hale 2, Sage, Owens, Ward.
Bremerton 65, Port Angeles 59
BREMERTON — The Roughriders stumbled on the road against a high-performing Knights squad Friday.
“Give Bremerton a lot of credit they played amazing,” Ulin said. “They hit tough, contested shots, played with energy and executed at a high level.”
Ulin said Port Angeles didn’t help itself in the contest.
“A lot of their success at times came from our poor decision-making,” Ulin said. “We didnt execute offensively and that led to points for them. And when we were trying to do too much, it led to some poor transition defense.”
Foul trouble limited Riders forward Anton Kathol to just eight minutes of court time.
Port Angeles went down by as much as 11 points in the second half, Ulin said.
‘We were definitely nowhere near our best and they were playing well,” Ulin said. “We could have thrown in the towel, but we clawed all the way back to tie it up in the fourth. That says a lot about our guys toughness and character. We just didn’t execute well enough in the last two or three minutes.”
Ulin praised Xander Maestas for his play.
“Xander was a spark off the bench,” Ulin said. “He had six points, four steals and a couple rebounds in the second half.”
Now Ulin said the team has to learn from its first Olympic League loss.
“Our end goal of playing at the state tournament and playing well there. And that’s attainable if we learn from this and improve our decision making. We have to realize we have a bulls-eye on our back with our RPI ranking and in league play. And that’s the type of game and the type of team we will see in district play.
“But I’ve never been more confident in a team with how they learn, respond and grow.”
The Riders had their first chance to respond late Saturday against 1A power Lynden Christian. Port Angeles (4-1, 9-4) will visit rival Sequim (3-2, 8-5) on Tuesday.
Bremerton 65, Port Angeles 59
Port Angeles17 13 16 13— 59
Bremerton 13 17 22 13— 65
Port Angeles (59) — Cobb 18, Johnson 12, Clark 9, Ringgold 9, Maestas 6, Kathol 2, Methner 4, Jarnagin 3.
Forks 49, Neah Bay 36
NEAH BAY — It wasn’t a pretty victory, but the Spartans learned to win a different way in beating the Red Devils at home Thursday.
“Any time you can win a game in a different style that’s a positive,” Forks coach Rick Gooding said. “We found another way to win. I’d love to shoot 60 percent from the field, 40 percent on 3s and 75 percent from the [free-throw] line every game, but that’s not realistic. And when you figure out how to win a different way, especially when you have a younger team, that’s encouraging.”
Gooding said the Spartans went up 10-0 early and led 19-9 after one quarter thanks to six points from Trey Baysinger. Baysinger finished with 12 on 5 of 7 shooting in the game.
Neah Bay’s switch from man defense to a zone caused some issues for Forks.
“They dropped into a zone and we got a little 3-point happy and they didn’t really fall,” Gooding said. “Neither team shot very well, both teams were struggling to make shots.
“It was just a back-and-forth, physical game. Both teams played pretty gritty.”
Forks’ own defensive switch away from zone to man defense was a catalyst in the win, Gooding said.
“Going to man kind of turned the game for us,” Gooding said. “We play so much zone, you kind of wonder how they will handle man and our guys responded.”
Logan Olson scored seven of his game-high 13 in the third quarter to lift Forks to a 39-28 advantage after three quarters.
And Gooding said his squad closed the game out in solid fashion.
“Ray Davis twisted his ankle, but he got some good baskets,” Gooding said. Davis added 10 for the Spartans.
Gooding also had praise for Tony Flores, Oscar Gonzalez and Skyler Steffen for their defensive efforts.
“With our move to 2B next year, we won’t have as many open games playing in a bigger league,” Gooding said. “So this could be one of the last times we get to play a game at Neah Bay. And it’s a tough atmosphere, the crowd is right there on top of you, but it’s always a fun game.”
Forks 49, Neah Bay 36
Forks 19 8 12 10— 49
Neah Bay 9 12 7 8— 36
Forks (49) — Olson 13, Baysinger 12, Davis 10, Flores 5, Steffen 5, Gonzalez 2, Farias 2,
Neah Bay (36) — Claplanhoo 15, Soeneke 8, Horejsi 6, Vitalis 5, Carrick 2, Croy, Martinez, Lovik, Chambers, Halttunen.
Bear Creek 79, Port Townsend 34
PORT TOWNSEND — The Redhawks struggled in two losses this week, allowing 76 points to Kingston on Tuesday and more against the Grizzlies on Friday.
“We need to continue to improve in all phases of the game: defense, offense, rebounding, ball security and basketball IQ,” Port Townsend coach Tom Webster said. “We played 2A Kingston and 1A Bear Creek this week and it seemed like we were playing checkers and they were playing chess.
“You can’t give up 150 in two games and expect to win.
“I still love this team and can see light at the end of the tunnel — hopefully it’s not a train.”
Port Townsend (1-1, 2-8) hosts Chimacum at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Bear Creek 79, Port Townsend 34
Bear Creek 21 27 21 10— 34
Port Townsend 11 8 9 6— 79
Port Townsend (79) — Montoya 13, Toner 8, Harris 5, Petta 3, Zabransky 2, Yaculic 2.
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Compiled from team reports. Email scores to sports@peninsuladailynews.com or phone 360-417-3525.
