CHIMACUM — The Chimacum boys basketball team remained perfect on the year by pounding Auburn Adventist Academy 70-49 in nonleague action Monday night.
Quinn Eldridge had lights-out shooting for the night with seven 3-pointers to spark the Cowboys with 23 points while two other players scored in double figures.
Rafael Pagasian sank 15 points while Landon Cray had 12.
The win sets up a rematch between the Cowboys (3-0 overall) and the Forks Spartans (1-0) tonight in the Chimacum gym.
This will be the third year in a row that the two North Olympic Peninsula Class 1A teams will meet in nonleague action.
“We know them well,” Forks coach Scott Justus said about the two previous meetings.
“Chimacum has three quality players. They are playing very well this year.”
The Cowboys are 0-2 in the series but this won’t be the same team the Spartans have faced the last two times.
“We’re a different look than we were last year,” Chimacum coach Jim Eldridge said.
On Monday, the Cowboys pulled ahead of Auburn after leading only 30-29 at halftime.
Chimacum outscored Auburn 40-20 in the second half.
“Our defense improved in the second half,” coach Eldridge said.
“They had bigger guys and they pounded it down low. We’re not moving like we should in some areas.”
It helped that sophomore forward Riley Downs came off the bench and scored eight points down low, Eldridge said.
The Cowboys host Forks tonight and then opens Nisqually League play at Orting on Friday night.
Chimacum 70, Auburn Adventist 49
Auburn 14 15 11 9 — 49
Chimacum 16 14 18 22 — 70
Individual Scoring
Auburn Adventist (49)
Krall 14, Rogers 7, Plecker 9, Morgan 4, Reynichenko 7, Trabtebin 8.
Chimacum (70)
Q. Eldridge 23, Pagasian 15, Cray 12, Dukek 3, Madayag 2, Downs 8, Glessing 5, Weller 2.
Forks 38,
North Beach 27
FORKS — This game could not be called a barn-burner.
“Neither team wanted to score,” Forks coach Scott Justus said.
But the Spartans waded through the sloppiness to win their first game of the year.
“We played a decent second quarter but we couldn’t score,” Justus said.
“I don’t know if we had first-game jitters or what.”
Forks had 21 turnovers in the game and shot just 13 of 54 from the field.
Two Spartans scored in double figures as Tyler Penn sank 12 points and Brady Castellano added 10.
Castellano just missed a double-double as he pulled down nine rebounds.
Junior forward Braden Decker, who scored seven points, was even more valuable as a defender as he went against Auburn’s top returning scorer, Preston Vick.
“Preston scored 16 and 24 points against us the last two years,” Justus said.
Decker held Vick to one point, a free throw, of course.
“Braden did a fabulous job on him,” Justus said.
Decker also had five assists, five rebounds and five steals in the game.
The Spartans next play at Peninsula rival Chimacum tonight.
Forks 38, North Beach 27
North Beach 8 5 4 10 — 27
Forks 9 14 7 8 — 38
Individual Scoring
North Beach (27)
Thorton 3, Grover 3, Deibel 7, T. Turner 6, J. Turner 4, Hernandez 3, Vick 1.
Forks (38)
T. Penn 12, J. Penn 5, Castellano 10, Decker 7, Leons 4.
Girls Basketball
Auburn Advent. 46, Chimacum 39
CHIMACUM — The Cowboys dug a 16-1 hole in the first quarter but came roaring back to play with Auburn Adventist Academy in the nonleague game Monday night.
“We had a pretty good comeback,” coach Brad Burlingame said.
The Cowboys (0-3) trailed by just 27-22 at halftime and 35-33 going into the fourth quarter after being behind 16-5 at the end of the first period.
Chimacum seemed to run out of gas in the final quarter, making only one of 11 free throws.
“We’re a young team and I think the fatigue factor is hurting us right now,” Burlingame said.
Three players scored in double figures as freshman point guard KeKe Snyder led the way with 12, followed by Cydney Nelson with 11 and Lauren Thacker with 10.
Burlingame is impressed with the progress of Snyder.
At first the coaches were concerned about putting too much on the shoulders of their talented freshman, playing varsity ball for the first time, he said.
Burlingame didn’t have to worry.
“I was wondering if she could handle the high school level, but now I’m wondering if this level can handle her.
“KeKe is an outstanding ball handler and she has a pretty, pretty shot.”
Nelson led Chimacum on the boards with eight while Krista Hathaway brought down seven and Mallori Cossell had five.
The Cowboys next host Forks in nonleague action Wednesday and then open Nisqually League play at Orting on Friday night.
“That’s a big game at Orting,” Burlingame said.
“There are three teams to beat in league and that’s Orting, Life Christian and Charles Wright.”
Defeating those teams would give the Cowboys a straight shot to the playoffs, Burlingame said.
The coach isn’t worried about his team’s 0-3 start.
“We are young,” he said.
The Cowboys will improve and be much better by the end of the year, he added.
Auburn Adventist 46, Chimacum 39
Auburn 16 11 8 11 — 46
Chimacum 5 17 11 6 — 39
Individual Scoring
Auburn Adventist (46)
(First names available only), Brooke 5, Janessa 5, Namoi 13, Heather 13, Annie 6, Mann 2, Lacey 2.
Chimacum (39)
Nelson 11, Thacker 10, Snyder 12, Johnson 3, hathaway 3.
Wrestling
PA wins tourney
SEATTLE — The Roughriders began their season in a big way Saturday, winning the first-ever Cleveland Invitational at the Metro League school.
Port Angeles sent just 12 wrestlers but 10 placed in the top five, resulting in a first-place team finish among the 14 schools in attendance.
Freshman Brady Anderson announced his arrival to the varsity scene in a big way, winning the 106-pound bracket.
Junior Brian Cristion also came away with a tournament title at 182 pounds.
Port Angeles hosts Olympic League rival Kingston in a crucial dual meet tonight with junior varsity action starting at 6 p.m. and varsity at 7 p.m.