The Pirate boys basketball team rebounded from a winless week with two home victories last week.
The first game of the week was a home game against the Life Christian Eagles on Tuesday, Jan. 22. The Pirates needed to get a win to get back on track, and they started the game like they knew it, quickly jumping out to a 6-point lead. As the game progressed, the Eagles managed to keep pace with the Pirates, but could not overcome them.
“We had some stretches of great basketball, but sloppy play made it a bit closer than it needed to be,” said coach Andy Sears.
Most of the great play came from sophomore Jesse Norton, who scored nearly half of the team’s points, finishing the night with 25. Senior Ben Whitaker also had an impressive game with 14 points. At the end of the game, the Pirates came out on top, winning 56-52.
The second game of the week was another must-win for the Pirates against a physically tough Bellevue Christian team on Saturday. The first quarter was played very evenly. Junior Thomas Douglas swished a spot-up 3-pointer in the middle of the quarter, sending the Green Tide into a roar, but Bellevue Christian immediately responded. At the end of the first quarter, the teams were tied at 12.
In the second quarter, the Pirates came alive on offense and defense, outscoring the Vikings 16 to 8. In the final seconds of the first half, the ball was in Norton’s hands; he put up a 3, holding the follow-through as the ball swished through the net and the buzzer rang.
As play resumed in the third quarter, the Pirates went right back to work, dismantling the Vikings. Sophomore Ian Stewart played great on defense, dominating his opponents. At the end of the third quarter, the Pirates were up 41-27.
In the fourth quarter, Bellevue Christian began to close in, and came within 8 points. Norton then put the final nail in the coffin, driving the lane and putting in a layup for 2. He was fouled on the play, and buried the free throw.
As the final buzzer rang, the scoreboard read 50-38, a Pirate victory.
Norton led Vashon scoring with 21 points.
“We got great production from Jesse and Ben, but this was truly a team win,” Sears said.
The Pirates still have a big hill to climb, needing to win the rest of their regular season games to make the playoffs.
— Ezra Lacina is a student at Vashon High School.
