MONTESANO — Forks went on the road and ended its five game Evergreen League boys basketball losing streak by defeating Montesano 55-41.
“Everyone did a little bit of something,” Spartans coach Rick Gooding said following Tuesday’s victory. “That’s when we play our best basketball, when everyone does a little bit of something.”
Parker Browning led Forks with 21 points and was one of many Spartans who made important free throws down the stretch. Jeffrey Schumack, Cort Prose, Cole Baysinger and Marky Adams also were clutch at the line.
Others played stout defense off the bench.
Forks built and maintained a cushy lead until late in the game when Montesano turned three straight turnovers into six points to cut the deficit to four points.
Rather than cave in to the comeback, the Spartans regrouped.
“Cole hit a huge 3 that kind of jetted us up, and Parker got a nice steal and took it down to the rack,” Gooding said.
“Just like that, it went from four to nine points, which made it a lot more comfortable.
“I’m really proud of the way out guys finished and were making free throws down the stretch.
“It would have been easy for us to fold and not fight back.”
Adams, who was bulldogged in the post throughout the game by the Bulldogs, finished with 11 points for Forks. Prose added seven and Baysinger scored six.
Forks (3-5, 5-7) next plays at Rochester (1-6, 1-12) on Friday. The Spartans defeated the Warriors 58-49 in the teams’ early meeting last month.
“That should be a tough test,” Gooding said.
“Hopefully we can get a streak going. We had a sreak going the other way, so we want a winning streak to go here.
“Hopefully the boys like the taste of a ‘W’ and can keep it going.”
Forks 55, Montesano 41
Forks 14 5 12 24— 55
Montesano 4 6 11 20 — 41
Individual scoring
Forks (55)
Browning 21, Adams 11, Prose 7, Baysinger 6, Schumack 4, Pegram 2, Tejano 2, Ramsey 2.
Montesano (41)
Chastain 10, Truax 9, Hopsceger 7, Ridgeway 6, Herzog 5, Valley 2, Chapman 2, Napier.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Quilcene 47, Northwest Yeshiva 45
QUILCENE — The Rangers squeaked past the 613s to earn a SeaTac League victory.
“[We] narrowly escaped a fourth-quarter comeback by Northwest Yeshiva,” Quilcene coach Briana Weller said of Tuesday night’s win.
“The girls played well for 3½ quarters. And then the last four minutes of the fourth quarter, [we] got rattled and allowed Northwest Yeshiva to come back from a 12-point deficit.
“Honestly, the last four minutes of the fourth quarter was ugly. But we are glad to get the league win.”
Megan Weller led all scorers with 28 points for the Rangers.
“[She] played an intense game,” Weller said. “She had some amazing drives to the hoop tonight, and her jump shot was deadly.”
Allison Jones added eight points for Quilcene (2-2, 5-6).
“Kaitlyn Hitt, Kenzie Kieffer and Sydney Brown worked hard and played solid defense,” Weller said.
“[We] continue to improve overall, and it is exciting to watch them come together as a team and get rewarded for their efforts.”
The Rangers host Christian Faith on Friday.
Quilcene 47, Northwest Yeshiva 45
Northwest Yeshiva 13 10 10 12— 45
Quilcene 12 15 14 6— 47
Individual scoring
Quilcene (47)
Weller 28, Jones 8, Williams 4, Kieffer 2, Weller 2, Hitt 2, Gray 1.
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Compiled using team reports.
