PORT TOWNSEND — Forks’ press did damage defensively early and often as the Spartans doubled up Port Townsend 74-37 in a nonleague boys basketball contest at Bruce Blevins Gymnasium on Friday.
“Our press, they didn’t really have an answer for our press,” Forks coach Rick Gooding said.
Gooding said senior Oscar Gonzalez set the tone defensively with some early steals and layups as the Spartans staked out a 12-0 lead to open the game. Trey Baysinger scored 14 of his game-high 18 points in the first quarter as well.
“Oscar had his four points right off the bat, but he was so active all game defensively,” Gooding said. “We have so many guys contributing and that doesn’t always get reflected in the point totals. Along with the dirty work of steals and tips is the tough rebounding that guys come in and give us, like Carter [Windle], Skyler [Steffen] and Trey.”
Steffen had 12 points, Tony Flores had 12 despite dealing with a busted lip early in the contest and Riley Pursely added 11.
Noa Montoya had 16 to lead the Redhawks (1-0, 1-4).
“They turned our lights out, obviously,” Port Townsend coach Tom Webster said. “They pressed us and were up by three TDs at half. We couldn’t drop a peanut in the ocean. We only hit seven two’s, three 3s and some free throws.
“Our inexperience showed up a little bit, but I have to coach this team harder and better. I do think these tougher nonleague games will help us get better. Forks is quick on the perimeter, good inside and they showed us multiple looks.”
Webster, who’s been a Port Townsend coach for more than a decade, said it’s the first time that the Redhawks have trailed by 40 points — the margin that triggers a running clock in high school basketball.
“I can’t remember that happening in Bruce Blevins Gymnasium,” Webster said. I hope Bruce [Blevins] wasn’t watching.”
“I think they are a more talented team than how they played last night,” Gooding said of Port Townsend.
Gooding said that he’s seeing more and more buy-in from his players as the Spartans (4-0) continue to succeed in the early season.
“Our guys are having fun and really taking pride in working their butts off in our press. Now that we are winning and having some success we are going to improve more and more because the guys are seeing that everything matters. Those deflections matter, those steals and run-outs matter, those rebounds matter.
“It’s just teamwork and realizing you don’t need to score points to change the outcome of the game. It’s another thing to do it.”
Forks has a full week ahead.
“We have a great week next week,” Gooding said. We play Sequim on Wednesday, Tumwater on Thursday and play Toledo at Saint Martin’s University on Saturday.”
Forks 74, Port Townsend 37
Forks 22 18 20 14— 74
Port Townsend 10 9 6 12— 37
Forks (74) — Pursley 11, Davis 5, Gonzalez 4, Windle 6, Baysinger 18 Flores 12, Terrones 4, Olson 2, S.Steffen 12, K. Steffen, Beebe.
Port Townsend (37) — Montoya 16, Rodeghier 5, Harris 4, Coggins 2, Lang 1, Zabransky 1, Toner.
Port Angeles 81, Kingston 32
KINGSTON — Port Angeles got another balanced effort with nine players scoring at least 6 points as they blew open the game after halftime with a 47-17 second half in a 81-32 Olympic League 2A-opening win over Kingston.
It was the second-straight game that the Roughriders scored 81 points. They beat Neah Bay 81-24 on Wednesday.
And again for the second-straight game, 11 players scored. Damen Ringgold and Anton Kathol led the Riders with 12 points each, while Dru Clark and Andrew Methner each scored 9 and Derek Bowechop and Chase Cobb each scored 8.
Head coach Kasey Ulin spoke effusively about his team’s unselfishness. The Riders tallied 22 assists Friday after totaling 25 assists against Neah Bay.
“I can’t say enough about these guys. They’re such amazing young men,” Ulin said. “They’re making the right plays and the right reads. There’s no egos. The guy don’t care who gets credit.”
The Riders had 60 points in the paint and outrebounded Kingston 49 to 20. Ringgold had a double-double with 11 boards, while Kathol had seven.
In addition to the scoring, Ulin said the Riders played good defense. “Our defensive pressure wore down Kingston,” he said.
The Riders (1-0, 2-1) have a huge challenge coming up on Wednesday when No. 1-ranked North Kitsap (1-0, 4-0) comes to play in Port Angeles at 7:30 p.m. North Kitsap and Port Angeles also battled last year for the league championship, which the Riders won in an extra tiebreaking game, so the Vikings will have a little extra revenge motivation, too.
Port Angeles 81, Kingston 32
PA 18 16 27 20 — 81
King. 11 4 15 2 — 32
Port Angeles (81) — Ringgold 12, Kathol 12, Cark 9, Methner 9, Cobb 8, Bowechop 8, Vaara 7, Johnson 7, Nickerson 6, Maestas 2, Jarnigan 1.
