The Vashon High School boys’ basketball team boosted its record to 4-2 last Tuesday night at Vashon High School as the Pirates took down Steilacoom, 52-35. It was the third consecutive win for the Pirates.
The first half was a tightly contested battle.
The Pirates got off to a great start, scoring three times on their first five possessions. Adrian Arceo hit the first field goal of the night for Vashon. Alex Wegner then hit for two and quickly followed up with a three-pointer as the Pirates jumped out to a 7-2 lead.
With the exception of Wegner’s two points from the foul line, the Pirates went cold for the rest of the period, allowing the Sentinels to scramble back to within two. The first period buzzer sounded with the Pirates up, 9-7.
In a well-balanced second period attack, Jeff Rauma, Hamzah Griffin, Ben Whitaker, Dan Lofland and Wegner each collected a pair of points on baskets from the floor. Steilacoom, however, managed to keep pace.
With the Pirates holding a narrow 19-16 lead, Tyler Stoffer stepped up with a huge three-pointer to stretch the advantage to six.
The Sentinels came right back with a basket and followed that with a three-pointer to make it a one-point game. The Pirates responded as Stoffer, the man with the hot hand, hit for three just before the buzzer blared, sending the teams into the locker room with Vashon out in front, 25-21.
The Pirates surged in the third period, outscoring the Sentinels, 15-7. While the defense was shutting down the Sentinels, Arceo opened the period with a three-pointer and then hit one from the foul line. Griffin then hit from the floor and came right back to do it again, drawing a foul in the process and converting from the line.
Wegner was fouled when shooting a three and converted for two. He then followed up with two from the floor. Kyle Bakker powered in a basket from underneath to complete the barrage, ending the period with Vashon ahead, 40-28.
The defense held the Sentinels to seven points again in the final frame, while on the offensive end the Pirates hit for 12.
Wegner led the scoring effort with 15 points while Griffin was right behind him, tallying 13. Stoffer and Arceo each hit for six, Lofland scored five, Bakker collected three, and Rauma and Whitaker notched two each.
“This team has been working extremely hard,” said coach Andy Sears, “and I’m really proud of the effort that has been given. You can see a great amount of progress in a very short period of time. I appreciate the contributions from many players that have led to our success. We look forward to the Shootout and some very strong competition.”
Tomorrow and Thursday the Pirates head to the Yakima SunDome Shootout where they are scheduled to go up against Zillah (ranked fifth in the state among 1A teams) and Connell.
— Steve Edele is the father of Pirate Nick Fox-Edele.
