By STEVE EDELE and GLENNA MILESON
For The Beachcomber
The tough, physical Fife High School basketball team overpowered the Vashon Pirate boys in their first game of the season, played at Fife on Tuesday, Nov. 30. Vashon lost the contest with a final score of 35-49.
However, the boys went on to trounce Port Townsend High School on Friday, 60-41.
Starting for the Pirates at last Tuesday’s game were Alex Wegner, Jesse Hazzard, Dan Lofland, Hamzah Griffin and Tyler Stoffer — the five returning varsity lettermen.
The Pirates won the opening tip-off, but Fife picked off a pass for a quick lay-in and the first points of the game.
The Pirates moved the ball well, but weren’t able to score until over four and a half minutes had ticked off the clock. The score was 9-21 at the end of the first quarter.
The Pirates continued to be plagued with turnovers and missed shots in the second quarter and went into the locker room behind 14-35 at halftime.
By the end of the third, Vashon was behind 17-45. They rallied back to in the fourth quarter, adding 18 points to their score while keeping Fife to 2.
“We have some things to work on,” Coach Andy Sears said after the game.
Scoring for the Pirates were Wegner (22), Griffin (4), Stoffer (3), Jeff Rauma (2), Kyle Bakker (2), Ben Whitaker (1) and Hazzard (1).
At Friday’s game against Port Townsend, the Pirates opened up an 11-point lead on Port Townsend High School and never looked backed. The win moved the Pirates to 1-1 in the early hoops season.
Wegner led all scorers, netting 26 points for the Pirates on nine field goals including two three-pointers. He also went six for six from the foul line. Vashon played an excellent team game as the rest of the scoring was spread throughout the roster with Griffin, Rauma and Matt Dick each picking up six points that night.
The Port Townsend Redskins scored the first basket of the game, but Vashon, playing some tenacious defense, powered back to take an 8-2 lead.
As the first period wore on, Port Townsend managed to stay within six, almost entirely on the back of its six-foot, three-inch senior center Jacob DeBerry, who accounted for over half of the Redskins’ total point production.
Nearing the end of the period, however, Wegner got open underneath for two layups and Stoffer hit a three to end the first frame with a 21-10 Vashon lead.
The Pirates maintained the advantage through the early stages of the second period, leading 24-14 before the Redskins picked up seven unanswered points. Redskin Matt Juran hit for two.
When the Pirates came up empty on the flowing possession, Port Townsend bit into Vashon’s lead again when Kyle Kelly hit a basket, was fouled and made good from the free throw line.
Both teams then exchanged several possessions without scoring until DeBerry hit for the Redskins, cutting what had been a 12-point advantage down to five.
With two seconds left on the clock, Rauma laid the ball up on a beautiful feed from Wegner, and the Pirates held a 28-21 lead at the half.
Sears surely whispered some words of inspiration to his team during the break, because the Pirates buried Port Townsend in the third period, outscoring the Redskins 18-7.
The Vashon attack came from everywhere: six points from Dick on a pair of three-pointers, four points from Hazzard and two each from Griffin, Wegner, Whitaker and Adrian Arceo.
The third period buzzer sounded with the Pirates holding a commanding 46-28 advantage.
The Redskins managed to close the gap to 12 at one point in the final period, but the Pirates sprinted to the finish, notching a 19-point win in their first victory of the season.
Vashon’s next game, which is also its Nisqually League opener, will be at Seattle Christian this Friday at 6 p.m.
—Steve Edele is the father of Pirate Nick Fox-Edele. Glenna Mileson is the mother of Pirate Alex Wegner.
