SPOKANE — Neah Bay point guard Makyah Chambers took over the game in the second half and the Red Devils eliminated the Oakesdale Nighthawks 58-45 in a Class 1B boys basketball state tournament loser-out contest Wednesday afternoon at the Spokane Arena.
Chambers hit 8 of 15 from the floor and 3 of 8 on 3s for a game-high 21 points, including scoring 10 straight points, three coming on an NBA-range 3-pointer as Neah Bay turned a 27-26 advantage with six minutes to go in the third quarter into a 40-29 lead.
Tyler Swan, who had a big contest with 17 points and 18 rebounds, effectively sealed the contest when he drained a 3 from the right corner to put the Red Devils up 53-37 with 2:40 to play.
Same time today
Fifth-seeded Neah Bay (18-4) will take on the No. 3-seeded Moses Lake Christian-Covenant Lions (21-1), winner of 20 straight games, in a 1B boys quarterfinal contest today at 12:15 p.m. The remainder of the tournament is double-elimination, so Neah Bay is assured of a Friday contest as well regardless of outcome against Moses Lake.
Wednesday against Oakesdale, Neah Bay had no trouble adjusting to shooting the ball in the larger venue and opened the contest hot from beyond the 3-point line with Red Devils Chambers, Swan and LeAnthony Jimmicum hitting 3s on the way to a 24-10 first-half advantage.
But Oakesdale wouldn’t go down that easily, ending the first half on a 9-0 run and pulling within 27-26 early in the third quarter when freshman Ryker Reed knocked down a pair of free throws.
But Reed, who scored 12 first-half points, was hampered by more Red Devils defensive attention after halftime and foul trouble, and finished with 19 points.
Jimmicum also reached double digits in scoring for Neah Bay with 10 points.
Neah Bay 58, Oakesdale 45
Oakesdale 8 11 14 12— 45
Neah Bay 13 11 20 14— 58
Oakesdale (45) — Reed 19, Lanius 9, Anderson 6, Brown 5, Eads 4.
Neah Bay (58) — Chambers 21, Swan 17, Jimmicum 10, Cumming 6, Akin 4, Woodruff 4, Wimberly, M. Greene.
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Sports reporter/columnist Michael Carman can be contacted at sports@peninsuladailynews.com.