By Michael Carman and Pierre LaBossiere
Peninsula Daily News
CHEHALIS — Forks couldn’t stop a surging Seton Catholic, falling 84-69 in a loser-out Class 1A Southwest District 4 boys basketball game Thursday at W.F. West High School.
The Spartans rolled out to a 19-10 lead after one quarter, but were outscored the rest of the way.
“Obviously, they came alive. We had a two-point lead at halftime and the third quarter was a big turning point. They got us there and in the last quarter,” Forks coach Rick Gooding said.
“It’s a bummer, and not the way we wanted it to end.”
Seth Johnson had 22 points to lead the Spartans in his final game in navy blue and gold. Fellow seniors Joseph Reaume, Brandon Baar and Cort Prose added 11, 10 and nine points, respectively.
“I can’t explain how proud I am of these guys to win a league championship, an undisputed league championship,” Gooding said. “We battled through a lot of things and became a family. These guys will always be near and dear to my heart. The season may have ended with a loss, but our friendship, being teammates, that will last forever. It was a tight-knit group, eight seniors, and I hope they know how much they have meant to me and our community all the way up from being little kids coming to our games. They are great kids, great role models and I’m very proud of them.”
Forks finished its season 17-6.
Seton Catholic 84, Forks 69
SC 10 21 28 25— 84
Forks 19 14 16 20— 69
Seton Catholic (84) — Parker 18, Williams 5, Anderson 24, Morgan 10, Rushing 26, Olson 1.
Forks (69) — Johnson 22, Reaume 11, Baar 10, Baysinger 9, Eastman 6, Prose Armas 2, Flores, Ness, Morton.
Neah Bay 66, Tulalip 44
PORT ANGELES — The Neah Bay boys guaranteed a return to the 1B state regionals, outlasting a solid Tulalip team 66-44 in a 1B Tri-District second-round game at Port Angeles High School.
The game was closer than the score might indicate as the Red Devils entered the fourth quarter up just 45-38. Neah Bay outscored the Hawks 21-6 in the fourth as Tulalip, which played the night before, tired and struggled to put the ball through the hoop down the stretch.
Neah Bay (15-7) lost Saturday 69-58 against Muckleshoot at Evergreen High School in a game determining seeding for regionals. The finals of the Tri-District Tournament were canceled due to the repeated delays from last week’s snowstorms.
Getting back to Friday night’s contest, Neah Bay’s Sean Bitegeko had an unbelievable game. He had 24 points and 26 rebounds as he dominated inside the key. However, those stats aren’t even his most impressive. He also shot 10 for 10 from the free-throw line for the game.
“He [Bitegeko] played all 32 minutes and there’s a reason for that,” said Neah Bay coach T.J. Greene.
After the game, Bitegeko wasn’t even aware he had been perfect from the line.
“I just let it fly,” he said when asked why he is so good from the free-throw line.
Bitegeko said it felt good to finally get back on the court after a two-week gap between games. He said the Red Devils tried to prepare for game situations during that time.
“We played no foul scrimmages. We got used to getting beat up,” he said.
Greene was happy with how his team played after such a long delay.
“[Being rusty] was our biggest concern. We had to find that competition in practise. It looks like we did enough mentally. They were ready and won that battle,” Greene said.
Neah Bay had control throughout, but the Hawks, 17-4 overall for a reason, rallied in the third quarter to make it a competitive game. After a Bitegeko bucket made it 43-32 halfway through the third, the Hawks went into a pressing defense and cut the lead down to 43-38 late in the third.
The Red Devils responded by taking advantage of their depth, going on a 21-2 run over the next eight minutes as Tulalip simply ran out of steam and all of the Hawks’ shots seemed to bang off the front rim.
In addition to Bitegeko’s monster game, Cameron Moore had a double-double with 13 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, while Keith Johnson Jr. had a pair of 3-pointers and scored 14 points.
Neah Bay 66, Tulalip 44
Tulalip 15 6 17 6 — 44
Neah Bay 13 13 14 21 — 22
Tulalip (44) — Jones-Smith 12, Velo 9, Shay 6, Barber 6, Iukes 5, Comenote 3, Miranda 2, Kallappa 1.
Neah Bay (66) — Bitegeko 24, Johnson 14, Moore 13, Soeneke 7, Claplanhoo 4, Brunk 4.
Lopez 47, Crescent 42
JOYCE — Crescent hung with the Lopez Lobos, and even took a 42-40 lead with three minutes left in the fourth quarter, but fell 47-42 in a loser-out Class 1B Tri-District Tournament play-in game Thursday.
“The fourth quarter was another dogfight,” Loggers coach Chris Ferrier said. “We finally pulled ahead with about three minutes to go at 42-40, but we missed a couple contested layups and a couple free throws, which were a huge issue (8 of 18 in the game), and our shoulders drooped a little. Lopez’s kids got a big boost of confidence when one of their kids hit a tough two and they put us away with a 7-0 run to finish the game.
“It’s a disappointing end to a very solid season for my Loggers.”
Ferrier said his team wasn’t able to practice during the recent snowfall and it impacted his team.
“Not making excuses at all, because we all had to deal with it, but our team thrives off rhythm and is streaky in the sense that when we practice well, we play well,” Ferrier said. “We didn’t have practice for a week because of the snow and it really impacted my guys. We didn’t play poorly, we were just out of rhythm and lacking a little confidence in spots where we are usually gangbusters.”
Ferrier had praise for his team.
“Brayden Emery was steady through the whole game, getting buckets every quarter,” Ferrier said. “Eric Emery was a big threat in the first half and Brendan Bergstrom got some big buckets in the 3rd quarter. I also need to recognize the efforts of my two seniors, Noah Leonard, and Kylan Scheid. They have been part of the program for a couple years and while they didn’t produce big numbers, they provided hustle and heart and played big roles in the success we had this year.
“Finally, I really need to say a big thank you to my unpaid assistant coaches — Ricardo Garcia and Kimber Sprague. These two are amazing assistant coaches that smooth over a lot of rough edges that the head coach causes. I could not do this without them and the boys really respect and value them. We had 14 players in the program this year and return 12 of them, including our entire starting five, so we have the potential to be right back in the thick of things next year.”
Crescent finished the season 8-9, making its first playoff appearance in 10 seasons.
Lopez 47, Crescent 42
Lopez 11 15 12 9— 47
Crescent 10 10 14 8— 42
Crescent (42) — Dalton 7 Buchanan, Owens 2 E. Emery 10, Bergstrom 11, B.Emery 11, Leonard 1 Scheid.
Crescent’s Brendan Bergstrom is called for a charging foul on this play. The Lopez Island Lobos won the loser out game 47-42. (Dave Logan/for Peninsula Daily News)
