SPOKANE — A slow start was too much for the Neah Bay boys basketball team to overcome in the second round of the 1B state tournament at Spokane Arena.
But the Red Devils bounced back Saturday with a 55-44 win over Shorewood Christian to add a third place trophy to their impressive collection of basketball and football hardware.
Josiah Greene led Neah Bay with 12 points against the Lions, to go along with 10 rebounds. Tyler McCaulley added 10 points and assists before being helped off the court in the closing minutes with a leg injury.
Ryan Moss scored nine points and grabbed 11 boards for the Red Devils, while Abraham Venske scored eight points.
Neah Bay started fast against Shorewood Christian, grabbing a 19-9 lead after on quarter and hanging on until the final buzzer.
That wasn’t the case in Friday’s game, a 59-50 loss to Pomeroy.
The Red Devils started cold and only got colder, netting only eight points in the first quarter and five in the second, as the Pirates led 30-13 at intermission.
Neah Bay opened the third quarter with an 8-0 run on a 3-pointer by McCaulley, a bucket by Zeke Greene and a twisting and-1 by Josiah Greene.
For a moment, it appeared the Red Devils were poised to make a comeback similar to the one they pulled off against Tulalip Heritage in the opening round Thursday, but Pomeroy held Neah Bay to only five points for the rest of the quarter. The Red Devils were unable to pose a legitimate threat thereafter.
Neah Bay made only 12 of 39 shots from the field (30 percent) for the game.
Zeke Greene paced the Red Devils with 17 points and four steals and also pulled down six rebounds.
Josiah Greene, after being limited in the first half due to foul trouble, scored 11 points and dished a team-high four assists.
Neah Bay’s leading scorers Ryan Moss and Abraham Venske were held to five and two points, respectively.
The state tournament marks the end of the high school team sports careers of many Red Devils seniors who became fixtures at the 1B state football and basketball tournaments, including Josiah Greene, Zeke Greene, Tyler McCaulley and Grayson Porter.
Saturday’s Game
Neah Bay 55, Shorewood Christian 44
Neah Bay 19 10 16 10— 55
Shorewood 9 12 13 10— 44
Individual scoring
Neah Bay (55)
Martinez 2, Claplanhoo 3, J. Greene 12, Z. Greene 5, Doherty 2, Venske 8, Moss 9, Reamer 2, McCaulley 10.
Shorewood (44)
Domingo 12, King 7, Fevaleaki 6, Sollesvik 3, Lorenz 9, Young 7.
Friday’s Game
Pomeroy 59, Neah Bay 50
Pomeroy 16 14 8 21— 59
Neah Bay 8 5 13 24— 50
Individual scoring
Pomeroy (59)
McGreevy 6, Bott 14, LaMunyan 15, Feider 10, Snyder 7, Ruchert 2, Mayfield 3.
Neah Bay (50)
Martinez 2, Claplanhoo 2, J. Greene 11, Z. Greene 17, Doherty 3, Venske 2, Moss 5, Reamer 3, McCaulley 5.
