PORT TOWNSEND — Faye Chartraw was not to be denied.
She dominated in the low post, stepped back for a couple of 3-pointers and even sent in a few old-school mid-range jumpers to notch 28 points, including 12 in a big first quarter, and lead the Neah Bay girls basketball team to a 50-38 victory against Chimacum.
“Faye can do that for us,” Red Devils coach Tony McCaulley said.
“She’s worked real hard to make her game well-rounded. We kind of make her play in the post mostly because we have so many guards, but she can do all sorts of stuff for us.”
The win came in Friday’s
9 a.m. opener of the two-day Crush in the Slush basketball tournament at Port Townsend High School.
Despite the early hour, Neah Bay hit its first four shots, with Chartraw hitting on a layup and 3-pointer and sophomore Tristin Johnson hitting two well-aimed jump shots as the Red Devils pushed to an early 10-4 lead.
A swished 3-pointer from freshman Jessica Greene and more points from Chartraw pushed Neah Bay to a 22-12 lead after the first period.
But after their slow first quarter, the Cowboys woke up and started playing sound basketball.
“We got a little sloppy with the lead, and Chimacum defended us real well out on the perimeter,” McCaulley said.
“Our defense wasn’t bad. I expect the fouls to be high because we play aggressive and play [passing] lanes.
“So I’m happy to hold them to 38, but we need to figure it out a little on offense.”
Over the final three quarters, Neah Bay, ranked third in Class 1B, only added two more points to its lead and Chimacum had plenty of chances from the free-throw line to make things even more interesting down the stretch.
The Cowboys hit just 7 of 23 from the free-throw line in the second half, including 4 of 12 in the fourth quarter.
“We came out a little slow, maybe thinking a little too much about their ranking and pedigree, but we really did make things tough for them as the game went along,” Chimacum coach Trevor Huntingford said.
“The differences in this game really weren’t about what they did to us; it was more about what we had an opportunity to do but couldn’t reach.
“That’s a good thing for us, but we have to get past the point where we’re OK with moral victories and start expecting to win.
“Neah Bay expects to win every time they step on the floor. You can see it in their swagger on the court. That’s the mindset we have to adopt and we have to go and take it.”
Mechelle Nisbet led the Cowboys (1-6) with 13 points and twin sister Shanya added six. Alice Yaley also had six for Chimacum.
Neah Bay 50, Chimacum 38
Neah Bay 22 8 10 10— 50
Chimacum 12 12 8 6— 38
Individual scoring
Neah Bay (50)
Chartraw 28, Johnson 9, J. Greene 6, Hailey Greene 4, McCaulley 2, Doherty 1.
Chimacum 38)
M. Nisbet 13, Yaley 6, S. Nisbet 6, Richey 5, Castillo 4, Cerna 3, McKinlay 2.
Nooksack Valley 59, Port Townsend 23
PORT TOWNSEND — A tight, cohesive Pioneers team whipped passes around and through the Redhawks defense to set up open shooters and feed their post players for scores in an easy win Friday at the Crush in the Slush.
Nooksack Valley played a fundamentally sound basketball, exploiting Port Townsend’s lack of height in the post for baskets down low, and forcing the Redhawks offense into bad shots away from the basket and 14 turnovers by halftime.
Brianna Turner, a 6-foot-1 junior post, scored in bunches for the Pioneers.
She went on a personal 8-0 scoring streak inside to put Nooksack Valley up 20-5 late in the first quarter, ending the period with 12 points as the Pioneers lead 24-5.
Nooksack Valley increased its advantage to 33-7 at intermission when the Redhawks sputtered offensively in the second quarter.
Turner sat out the second quarter and came in after the break to score the first eight points of the second half for the Pioneers.
She finished with 20 points and Rachel Sande added 10 to lead Nooksack Valley (7-2).
Freshman Kaitlyn Meek led Port Townsend with 15 points.
Nooksack Valley 59, Port Townsend 23
Nooksack Valley 24 9 16 10— 59
Port Townsend 5 2 8 8— 23
Individual scoring
Nooksack Valley (59)
Turner 20, Sande 10, Oettel 7, E. Gimmaka 6, K. Gimmaka 5, Perry 4, Linville 3, VanderHeiden 2, Johnson 2, Berkam 2.
Port Townsend (23)
Meek 15, Sheldon-O’Neal 3, Snyder 2, Olin 2, Carson 1.
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-452-2345, ext. 5250 or at mcarman@peninsualdailynews.com.
