By Michael Carman and Pierre LaBossiere
Peninsula Daily News
HOQUIAM — Forks sealed the Evergreen League 1A championship with a 64-55 win over Hoquiam at Hoquiam Square Garden on Friday night.
“I can’t say enough about our kids,” Spartans head coach Rick Gooding said. “They are heady basketball players who have played together with each other for a long time, so to get this league championship is awesome.”
A close game throughout, Forks received strong performances from a number of players.
Cort Prose scored eight of his 16 points in the fourth quarter.
“That was huge for us, obviously,” Gooding said. “Cort also had a nice couple of assists. And maybe most importantly he guarded [6-foot-5 Rayvon] Dayton who has him by five or six inches. We really asked a lot of him and he delivered.”
Post Braton Armas recorded a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Spartans.
Point guard Seth Johnson had 10 points, six assists and nine rebounds.
Trey Baysinger scored seven and pulled down eight rebounds and Iziah Morton scored all six of his points in the third quarter against the Hoquiam zone.
“He hit some big buckets in the high post when they were zoning us up,” Gooding said of Morton.
“It was a heck of a ball game by our kids. Kids sharing the basketball, rebounding and doing the little things.”
Gooding said a large contingent of Forks faithful traveled to the game and provided a boost.
“Huge shoutout to the Forks Spartans fans, our crowd was packed,” Gooding said. “Our fans doubled theirs and anytime we were down they were there to lift us up.
“Our kids gave them a standing ovation after the game, it was a true sixth man for us.”
Forks (7-1, 16-4) opens the Southwest District 4 Tournament by hosting the Trico League No. 4, either Stevenson (8-12) or Castle Rock (7-12) at 7 p.m. Thursday.
Forks 64, Hoquiam 55
Forks 9 17 18 20— 64
Hoquiam 12 11 19 13— 55
Hoquiam (55) — Dayton 8, Eccles 1, Bumstead 2, Folkers 7, McMillian 9, Smith, Brown 28,
Forks (64) — Prose 16, Armas 14, Johnson 10, Reaume 8, Baysinger 7, Morton 6, Flores 2, Baar 1, Ness, Eastman.
Neah Bay 79, Crescent 22
Neah Bay 54, Taholah 44
NEAH BAY — The Red Devils, with their full roster available, went on a 25-0 run in the second quarter to beat Crescent 79-22 to cap off an undefeated season in the North Olympic 1B League.
Neah Bay had four players Friday in double figures. Keith Johnson Jr. hit three 3-pointers and scored 20, Cameron Moore and Sean Bitegeko each scored 14 and Captain Claplanhoo scored 13. Bitegeko led the team with 12 rebounds.
For Crescent, Brenton Dalton and Brendan Bergstrom led the team with four points each.
Both teams now get ready for the 1B Tri-District tournament. Crescent (5-4, 8-8) will play Saturday at Port Angeles High School in a loser-out game. As league champion, Neah Bay gets a bye and will play Feb. 12 in Port Angeles.
In a Thursday game against Taholah, the Red Devils limited the Chitwins to just three points in the fourth quarter to come away with a nonleague victory at home.
Bitegeko had a huge game for Neah Bay, piling up a double-double with 20 points, 17 rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks.
Jay Brunk added nine points, 14 rebounds and four steals.
Mike Shaw scored eight points and grabbed five rebounds and Moore had six points, six rebounds, three assists and a block.
Neah Bay 79, Crescent 22
NB 19 25 16 19 — 79
Crescent 11 0 4 7 — 22
Neah Bay (79) — Johnson 20, Moore 14, Bitegeko 14, Claplanhoo 13, Martinez 7, Shaw 5, Halttunen 2.
Crescent (22) — Dalton 4, Bergstrom 4, Mattix 3, Owens 3, Leonard 3, B. Emery 3, Buchanen 2.
Neah Bay 54, Taholah 44
Taholah 7 16 18 3— 44
Neah Bay 16 13 11 14— 54
Neah Bay (55) — Bitegeko 20, Brunk 9, Shaw 8, Halttunen 7, Moore 6, Johnson Jr. 4, Claplanhoo, Martinez.
Klahowya 62, Port Townsend 31
SILVERDALE — The Redhawks’ first two games with the Eagles were close losses by a combined total of 11 points.
Without two starters, one of whom was injured in Thursday’s loss, Port Townsend struggled, falling behind 35-4 at halftime.
“They looked like a playoff team,” Redhawks coach Tom Webster said.
“They were playing really good defense. Everything they were doing seemed right and was working for them.”
Things improved after halftime.
“Third quarter we came out and played better,” Webster said. “Noa [Montoya] had three 3s in the third, scored all 12 of his points in the third.”
Nico Winegar also rebounded well for Port Townsend, Webster said.
The Redhawks (3-3, 9-8) will visit the Nisqually League No. 3, likely Cascade Christian (10-8) in a loser-out Class 1A West Central District Tournament game at 6 p.m. Saturday.
Klahowya 62, Port Townsend 31
PT 2 2 18 9— 31
Klah. 18 17 11 15— 62
Port Townsend (31) — Montoya 12, Winegar 8, Baabahar 3, Watkins 2, Petta 2.
Klahowya (62) — Smith 16, Hartford 10, D. Kraft 9, J. Kraft 8, Betzing 7, Lewis 3, Garlit 2, Becker 2.
