Vashon Island boys’ varsity basketball team recently traveled to the University of Victoria for the 2017 Alumni Vikes Senior Boys Basketball Invitational. This year the tournament was composed of three Seattle area schools and three from British Columbia.
The Pirates first game was against the Vancouver College Irish, a large Catholic boys’ school. The Irish started faster than the Pirates, hitting on many uncontested shots from downtown and employing tenacious defensive pressure leading to many Vashon turnovers, and a 20-12 first quarter lead. The second period saw VHS get back into the game with better defense and successful fast breaks, but the Pirates had no answer for one Irish shooter, J.Cruz Dumont. He scored at will, and led the Irish to halftime leading 41-23.
Noah Edmonds provided the offense with 24 points, on 10 for 16 shooting, and Mike Piatti added 14 points, but few other Pirates could find success offensively. The Vancouver defense trapped on the corners and blocked penetration forcing longer shots and bounding rebounds that the Irish usually snatched. The second half was better, but the Irish shooters were hitting whenever they were open, as the Pirates fell 74-58.
The other Pirate scores were Jahmiah Hoogen 2, Jacob Chavez 5, Colin Pottinger 4, Tommy Delargy 4 and Ethan Danielsen 5.
Friday the Pirates faced the Oak Bay High school from Victoria, a large school boasting three players over 6 feet 6 inches tall and top ranked in Vancouver Island 4A.
Oak Bay got the opening tip and then scored. Vashon answered. Oak Bay scored again, and Vashon answered again. The tall guys for the Bays scored again and took a 9 to 4 lead, but Vashon roared back and stood toe to toe with them. At the end of the first quarter, Vashon led 15-14. A row of grandparents of Oak Bay players, accustomed to winning early and often, were looking around and asking, “Who are these guys from Vashon Island?”
The second quarter saw Oak Bay pull away with a 10-0 unanswered run, after VHS led 22-17, to go into halftime leading 27-22.
The final score was in favor of Oak Bay 73-55. Vashon scoring was concentrated among three players, Mike Piatti 21, Noah Edmonds 14 and Jahmiah Hoogen 13. Also contributing points was Jacob Chavez 3, Colin Pottinger 2 and Ethan Danielsen 2.
The third and final game of the tournament saw Vashon fall, 56-51 to North Kitsap, a 2A school. Vashon fought well in the competition for rebounds, but lost the battle for shooting accuracy. The scoring came from Piatti with 18, and Hoogen added 15. Both J.J. Bogaard and Chavez hit two baskets from deep to add six points. Edmonds had 4, and Tommy Delargy 2.
On Friday at 7 p.m., Charles Wright will visit for the first league game of the season.
— Daniel Briggs is the father of a Pirate basketball player.
