FORKS — Forks quickly shook off any winter break-induced rust, swiping 24 steals and sharing the ball offensively in a 73-25 pasting of Ocosta in a Pacific League boys basketball contest Wednesday.
The Spartans last played Dec. 19 against Coupeville.
“Good first game back for us after having over two weeks off,” coach Keith Weekes said. “We took about half the first quarter to get going and then came out slow in the second half, but we were just excited to be running against another team again.”
Forks had three players reach double figures in scoring. Titus Rowley hit 7 of 10 shots and scored 14 points with eight rebounds, three steals, three blocks and an assist. Kyle Lohrengel also hit for 14 points, with five steals and three assists.
Aidan Salazar added 13 with six steals and four assists.
“It’s always nice to get a league win and this game was a complete team effort,” Weekes said. “Everyone who suited up played and everyone scored, and we assisted on nearly 50 percent of our made baskets. We had very unselfish play and those are the most important things we are trying to achieve as we continue fighting towards our season goals.”
Forks (4-1, 7-4) visits Chief Leschi tonight.
Forks 73, Ocosta 25
Ocosta 7 3 10 5 — 25
Forks 26 19 12 16 — 73
Forks (73) — Rowley 14, Lohrengel 14, Salazar 13, Gonzales 8, Micheau 7, Davila 5, Davis 4, Olson 2, Hernandez 2.
East Jefferson 75, Charles Wright 70, OT
UNIVERSITY PLACE — Down 25 points in the first half, the Rivals rallied for an overtime win on the road.
“We switched to our press, which got us moving defensively to where the kids just balled out instead of thinking ‘What am I doing next?’” coach Emmanuel Abbot said. “Instincts kind of kicked in for them and they just played like we knew they could.”
Keidan Guzman led the way with 34 points for the Rivals. Brody Moore added 16 points and Traycen Brown 13.
East Jefferson (2-2, 3-3) visits Bellevue Christian (5-0, 5-3) tonight.
Crescent 62, Darrington 26
JOYCE — The Loggers won their 11th straight game, clamping down defensively to fell another set of Loggers at home Wednesday.
“Our defensive effort for three quarters was really excellent,” coach Chris Ferrier said. “We had a bit of a lull defensively at the end of the second quarter, but the guys really responded after halftime and ratcheted up the pressure.
“It’s such a fun group to coach. I don’t have stats, but I’d bet at least 75 percent of our baskets were assisted again. The guys really play incredibly unselfishly, almost to a fault.”
Lukas Love led Crescent with 17 points, Henry Bourm added 11 and Conner Bauers had 10.
“Three guys in double figures, with two more very close. Great balance and again the unselfish play,” Ferrier said.
Crescent visits Clallam Bay tonight for a nonleague game.
Crescent 62, Darrington 26
Darrington 4 7 7 6— 26
Crescent 20 8 21 13— 62
Crescent (62) — L. Love 17, H. Bourm 11, Bauers 10, M. Love 9, D. Sprague 7, J. Sprague 6, Watson 2.
Girls Basketball
Crescent 39, Darrington 37, OT
JOYCE — A long winter break away from the court sapped the Loggers’ stamina late, but Crescent found enough in reserve for an overtime win, the team’s seventh straight victory.
“We got really tired late and gave up our lead,” coach Brian Shimko said. “We had a long winter break, we didn’t play any games and we didn’t practice too much. We won’t do it like that next year. We’ll try and play a game and keep to more of a practice schedule.”
Naomii Sprague led the Loggers with 19 points, 10 coming on breakaways in transition.
“We were able to waste the final 16 seconds of the game and hold on to the ball. [Darrington] never got a look at the end,” Shimko said.
The Loggers (7-3) visit Clallam Bay tonight.
Crescent 39, Darrington 37, OT
Darrington 8 2 5 15 6— 26
Crescent 11 8 4 8 8— 62
Crescent (62) — Sprague 19, Acosta 12, Dunavant 4, Gales 4, Ferro-May, Hopper, Chester.
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Sports reporter/columnist Michael Carman can be contacted at sports@ peninsuladailynews.com.
