FORKS — Forks tried to balance saving some in the tank for an upcoming tussle with postseason implications with the desire to win a game over neighboring Neah Bay on Monday night.
The desire to win won out in the end, and the Spartans emerged with a 62-54 victory over the Red Devils.
“We are playing Raymond [late Tuesday] and ended up playing Riley Pursley and Logan Olson a little more than I expected in the fourth quarter,” Forks coach Rick Gooding said.
“That Raymond game is crucial if we want a better shot at the second spot in district seeding, so we were playing some different lineups and things, and we didn’t get in a groove. The kids want to win games, so we put in our kids that have more experience together and know they can work well together.”
Olson led Forks (6-3, 8-7) with 21 points.
“We only had 20 points as a team at halftime, and like a senior captain should, he led the charge and hit four 3s in the third quarter,” Gooding said.
Keaton Northcut was active on the offensive glass for the Spartans.
“He scored 13 points and I think all of his baskets came off of offensive rebounds,” Gooding said. “He’s got long, long arms, so we tell him that every shot attempt is a pass to you.”
Julian Carrick had a big night for the Red Devils with 18 points, 13 rebounds six steals, three assists and two blocks.
Jaden Halttunen added 12 points, six rebounds and five steals for Neah Bay (2-0, 4-3).
Forks 62, Neah Bay 54
Forks 7 13 26 16 — 62
Neah Bay 13 13 17 11— 54
Forks (62): Olson 21, Northcut 13, Pursley 9, Lausche 6, Rancourt 5, Doyle 5, Salazar 3, Micheau.
Neah Bay (54): Carrick 18, J. Halttunen 12, Chambers 8, Wimberly 4, T. Swan 4, D. Halttunen 4, Butterfield 4.
Girls Basketball
Neah Bay 67, Forks 35
FORKS — The Red Devils controlled a nonleague game over the neighboring Spartans.
“First quarter, we had to call a timeout because the girls looked gassed and I don’t know if it was last week catching up to them or what,” Forks coach David Hurn said of his team’s 3-0 week last week.
“I could see that we weren’t quite there. It showed in our legs and defensive rotations, and you have to be able to rotate against a team like Neah Bay where everyone can shoot it.”
Oceanna Aguirre had a big night on the boards, posting a double-double with 14 points, 13 rebounds and two blocked shots for the Red Devils.
Allie Greene added a team-high 16 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals for Neah Bay, and Qwaapeys Greene posted 10 points, seven rebounds and four steals.
Kadie Wood had 18 to lead Forks, which was without leading scorer Keira Johnson.
“Neah Bay is a tough team to play even at full strength,” Hurn said.
With a huge Pacific League contest set Wednesday, Hurn rested his starters as Neah Bay added distance on the scoreboard.
Forks (7-1, 8-4) hosts Raymond and its Washington State-commit Kyra Gardner on Wednesday.
“We have a league championship game coming up Wednesday, and we are getting healthy, so I didn’t want to risk anything in that fourth quarter,” Hurn said.
Neah Bay (2-0, 7-2) is scheduled to host Chief Kitsap on Friday.
Neah Bay 67, Forks 35
Neah Bay 16 15 13 23 — 67
Forks 13 11 9 2 — 35
Neah Bay (67): A. Greene 16, Aguirre 14, Q. Greene 10, Ray 8, Halttunen 8, R. Moss 5, C. Moss 4, A. Swan 2.
Forks (35): Wood 18, Ramos 8, Wharton 3, Sandoval 2, Gaydeski 2, Neel 2.
East Jefferson 29, Seattle Christian 28
SEATAC — The Rivals scored nearly half of their total point output in the fourth quarter to rally and earn the team’s first win of the season.
“We had some happy, happy kids after that one,” coach Lorraine Rimson said.
“Addie Asbell said before the game, ‘Come on, we need to win; [sister] Aurin hasn’t won since her sophomore year.’”
Alyssa Vandenberg did the bulk of the scoring for East Jefferson, scoring eight of her 13 points in the fourth quarter, including a couple of pressure-packed free throws late.
Aurin Asbell also hit a couple of baskets, and Maddy Harris drained a big 3 to lift the Rivals (1-7, 1-8).
“I’m looking forward to practice today because we can show them that even though we won, we can make so much more improvement. And I think they’ll be receptive because this showed that there are a lot of good things that we are doing, but we are capable doing a lot more.”
The Rivals host Charles Wright on Friday.
East Jefferson 29, Seattle Christian 28
EJ 4 5 5 14 — 29
SC 9 4 6 9 — 28
EJ (29): Vandenberg 13, Harris 6, Au. Asbell 6, Botkin 2, O’Hara 2, O’Donnell, Crecca, Ad. Asbell, Krajewski.
Forks’ Kadie Wood shoots over the defense of Neah Bay’s Allie Greene during the Red Devils’ 67-35 win over the Spartans on Monday. (Lonnie Archibald/for Peninsula Daily News)
