TACOMA — The Neah Bay boys basketball team got off to a rough start Saturday, down 24 points at point, but put on a furious rally late to get within two points of the Orcas Island Vikings.
In the end, the rally came up just short as Orcas held on for a 73-65 win at Tacoma Community College in the state regionals to eliminate the Red Devils from the postseason and end their season with a 14-7 record.
Neah Bay had beaten Orcas twice earlier this season, including a win in the Tri-District tournament, but the third time around, the Red Devils had no answers for the Vikings’ Diego Lago, who hit six 3-pointers and scored 32 points. Buddy Aguirre matched Lago’s output at times, leading Neah Bay with 24 points and seven rebounds.
After Orcas took a 37-13 lead late in the second quarter, the Red Devils began their remarkable comeback attempt by finishing the first half on a 9-2 run, with five points coming from Aguirre, to make it 39-20 at the break.
The second half featured huge swings of momentum by both teams. Still down 44-26 in the third period, the Red Devils went on a 9-0 run, with Aguirre scoring seven points, to cut the lead down to 44-35.
Orcas went on a mini-run to open the lead back to 50-35 when Neah Bay went on its third big run of the game, outscoring Orcas 12-2 as Makyah Chambers hit a pair of 3-pointers to cut the lead to 52-47.
Again, the Vikings responded, opening the lead back up to 63-53.
Neah Bay made one last run. Julian Carrick and Jaden Halttunen each scored four straight points and Jodell Wimberley added a bucket as, amazingly, the Red Devils managed to cut that 24-point Orcas lead all the way down to 65-63 with three minutes left in the game. It was a 50-28 Neah Bay run in about 15 minutes of play.
Unfortunately, that was Neah Bay’s last gasp as Lago scored five straight points and the Vikings were able to fend off the Red Devils down the stretch for the final margin.
Carrick finished with 15 points and nine rebounds. Chambers and Wimberley each scored seven.
It was the final game for seniors Halttunen, Carrick, Aguirre and Kaeden Butterfield.
Orcas 73, Neah Bay 65
Orcas 21 18 17 17 — 73
NB 4 18 25 18 — 65
Neah Bay (65) — Aguirre 24, Carrick 15, Chambers 7, Wimberley 7, Halttunen 6, Swan 4, Woodruff 2.
Orcas (73) — Lago 32, Stephens 15, Murray 11, Eggenberg 5, Anderson-Cleveland 3.
