JOYCE — Gerrad Brooks likes what he sees.
Entering the stretch run of his first season as Neah Bay boys basketball head coach, his Red Devils have the look of state contenders.
Neah Bay knocked off Lopez Island 73-56 in the first round of the Class 1B Tri-District tournament Saturday afternoon.
The win puts them just one win away from clinching a spot in the 1B regional bracket, with a game at juggernaut Mount Rainier Lutheran (Tacoma) looming Tuesday night.
“We’re looking great, everybody,” Brooks said after Saturday’s convincing win over Lopez.
“Drexler [Doherty] is playing great, Mike Dulik is playing great, all the way through, I could go on and on. It’s just really a great team effort. Everybody just really steps up.
“We’re clicking on all cylinders. We just need to continue doing the same thing were doing and we’ll be just fine.”
On Saturday, it was Doherty in particular who carried the load for Neah Bay (18-2 overall).
The senior shooting guard drilled 6 of 13 shots from 3-point range as he lit up the Lobos for a game-high 28 points.
Titus Pascua added 14 points, including two 3s during a 21-12 Neah Bay first-quarter to help the Red Devils run out to an early lead they never relinquished.
“They played great, the defense was superb,” Brooks said. “We pressed a little bit at the start of the game . . . then we just played man-to-man defense and just took over the game with that.”
It will take a tremendous defensive effort to win again Tuesday.
Mount Rainier Lutheran (21-0) has yet to lose a game this season.
On Saturday, it absolutely destroyed Tulalip Heritage — a team that beat the Red Devils earlier this season — to the tune of 65-18 in its first round Tri-District game.
A loss would put the Red Devils in a loser-out, winner-to-state game next Friday, while a win would put them in the Tri-District championship.
Neah Bay 73, Lopez Island 56
Lopez 12 13 9 22 — 56
Neah Bay 21 11 22 19 — 73
Individual Scoring
Lopez Island (56)
Peralta 3, O’Bryant 3, Haber 3, Drahn 11, Cook 4, Carson 10, Jarcline 14, Buffum 4, Poole 3.
Neah Bay (73)
Doherty 28, Pascua 14, Greene 10, Monette 8, Manuel 6, Kallappa 2, DeBari 2, Lawrence 2, Jimmicum 1.
Tulalip 62, Clallam Bay 44
MARYSVILLE — The Bruins’ season came to an end amid a fourth-quarter flurry from the Tomahawks on Thursday night.
Tulalip outscored Clallam Bay (13-8 overall) 21-9 in the final frame to pull away in the 1B Tri-District loser-our play-in game.
“We just kind of unraveled there at the beginning of the fourth,” Bruins coach Cal Ritter said. “They got ahead of us a little too far.”
Senior Emmett James led the Bruins with 12 points and nine rebounds while fellow senior Kyle Hess had nine points and 10 rebounds in his final game with Clallam Bay.
“We do lose three seniors [including John Teachout]. They will be hard to replace,” Ritter said.
“Those three earned my respect with hard work and determination. They are the ones who got us where we were.”
Clallam Bay rebounded from a four-win season just a year ago to finish second in the North Olympic League and reach the playoffs.
“It was a good season,” Ritter said. “It was a good experience for us.”
Tulalip Heritage 62, Clallam Bay 44
Clallam Bay 12 11 12 9 — 44
Tulalip Heritage 9 22 10 21 — 62
Individual Scoring
Clallam Bay (44)
James 12, Portnoy 10, Ky. Hess 9, Ke. Hess 5, Ritter 2, Willis 2, Teachout 2, Fawlks 2.
Tulalip Heritage (62)
Keith George 23, Fryberg 10, Renion 10, Enick 7, Ramos 7, Jimmicum 5.
White River 48, Sequim 43
POULSBO — The Wolves (15-8) narrowly lost their 2A sub-district seeding game to the Hornets (9-13) of the SPSL on Saturday to go into Bi-Districts as a No. 11 seed.
Nick Camporini torched the Hornets for 20 points to lead Sequim, which was tied with White River late in the fourth quarter only to be outscored 8-3 in the final two minutes.
The loss means Sequim must face sixth seed Renton (11-11) of the Seamount league in the first round of the double-elimination Bi-District bracket Wednesday night at 6 p.m. at Foss High School in Tacoma.
“Everybody that is in the tournament right now is a tough team,” Wolves coach Greg Glasser said.
“We’re going to be playing against a team that we haven’t seen their style of play this year [with a lot of athletic players crashing the boards consistently].
“It will be interesting to see how our kids react.”
White River 48, Sequim 43
Sequim 13 7 12 11 — 43
Home 12 8 14 14 — 48
Individual Scoring
Sequim (43)
Camporini 20, Carter 9, Brocklesby 6, Webb 8
White River (48)
Kiel 19, Tyler 11, Wolfskill 6, Dove 4, Scott 4, McCarragher 2, Sayler 2.
Port Angeles 70, Olympic 48
POULSBO — Ian Ward had a career game with 32 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks to spark the Roughriders to a seventh-place seeding at the Class 2A Bi-District tournament.
Port Angeles opens up double-elimination Bi-District play Wednesday at 8 p.m. against Sumner at Foss High School in Tacoma.
The Riders (15-7) had one of their best games of the year to dominate the Trojans, leading 30-19 at halftime and 53-28 at the end of three periods.
“We came out hard,” Port Angeles coach Wes Armstrong said. “Defensively, we came out with a lot of fire, and it was our best offensive execution of the season.”
Ward also had four assists to go with his other stellar stats.
“Ward played great on both ends of the court,” Armstrong said. “He was dominant.”
It was an unselfish game all the way around, though, Armstrong said, with 23 assists as a team.
Keenen Walker and Colin Wheeler also played great defensive games, Armstrong said.
“They held Olympic’s two best scorers below their season average.”
Wheeler also had 15 points and seven rebounds.
Port Angeles 70, Olympic 48
Olympic 10 9 9 20 — 48
Port Angeles 15 15 23 17 — 70
Individual Scoring
Olympic (48)
Encomienda 6, Gallagher 9, Otis 6, Calanda 3, Phillips 16, Fesuluai 4, Fullilove 2.
Port Angeles (70)
Phair 7, Braithwaite 5, Walker 2, Antioquia 5, Ward 32, Wheeler 15, Smith 6.
Lummi 79, Quilcene 44
BELLINGHAM — Lummi put on a clinic for the Rangers in the 1B double-elimination Tri-District playoff game Saturday.
Lummi led 35-18 at halftime and never looked back.
Jeremy Roberts was the high scorer of the game with 18 points for Lummi while Jake Pleines led the Rangers with nine.
Now Quilcene is in a loser-out game with Christian Faith on Tuesday.
