Pirates sweep Charles Wright Academy
Charles Wright Academy crossed the channel to Vashon last Tuesday night and lost 47-36 in a Nisqually league basketball game that was never really in doubt for the home team.
With the loss, the Tarriers fell to 0-5 in league play, while VHS improved to 4-1, a record that leads the league.
Pirate Langston Dziko started Vashon scoring on a shot from deep, followed by two free throws from Jahmiah Hoogen for a 5-0 early lead. Charles Wright (CWA) answered with jump shots on two possessions.
Dziko then slashed into the right side for a lay-in and 7-4 lead. CWA made two free throws. Hoogen hit a jump shot from six feet, and at the buzzer, Jacob Chavez drained a shot from downtown for a 12-6 Pirates lead at the end of the quarter.
Vashon started the second period fast, with a Dziko lay-in and a Casper Forest basket from deep. The Tarriers answered in kind, with a Henry Lenaburg jump shot from the top of the key and a 3-point play from sophomore guard Gray Davidson.
Pirate Rhys Jennings hit from deep, Noah Edmonds darted into the paint to hit an eight-foot jumper, then Forest grabbed a rebound and sped coast-to-coast for a lay-in as VHS cruised to a 27-16 halftime lead.
In the third period, Vashon raced to a 16-point lead on baskets by Jennings, Forest, Colin Pottinger and Edmonds. CWA answered, not with runs of points, but in a methodical tit for tat, as neither team shot particularly well and the Pirates maintained a comfortable 36-22 lead at the end of the period.
Charles Wright could not get any closer than 9 points in the final period as the Pirates rolled to the 11-point win.
High scorer for the Pirates was Forest with 13, followed by Dziko and Hoogen with 9 each. The Tarriers were led by Davidson with 10 points.
In the boys’ junior varsity game, Vashon won 43-32.
Vashon stuns Seattle Christian in overtime
The Vashon High School Pirates established themselves as the team through which the league championship must come with a hard-fought 52-45 overtime victory over the Seattle Christian Warriors Friday.
In their previous league game against the Warriors three weeks ago, the Pirates played a lackluster first half that put them too far behind to be able to recover. They suffered their only league loss. Friday’s game, however, was destined to be a different story.
In the beginning, the Pirates required five possessions before they could score on a Dziko runner. Seattle Christian maintained the lead initially, and capped the first quarter with a basket at the buzzer, from deep, for a 13-9 advantage.
Edmonds hit a 15-foot jumper to begin the second period. On the next possession, Pirate Ethan Danielsen grabbed a rebound, kicked out the ball to an open Chavez beyond the arc and he drilled home the 3-point shot. Vashon scored on its third straight possession as Pottinger faked a pass, then drained a turnaround jumper from 10 feet. This tied the score at 16 each. Neither team could find their shooting range for multiple possessions, until Connor Knack buried a 3-point basket for the Warriors and secured a 19-16 lead. Edmonds answered with a jumper from eight feet and, on the next possession, Chavez gave the Pirates the halftime lead at 21-19, by hitting from downtown.
After halftime, the third period started with another Chavez bucket from deep, a Danielsen tip in, and a 26-20 VHS lead. Seattle Christian tied the game at 26 points each on three straight possessions and two baskets by guard Evan Toy. The Warriors had the third quarter lead 30-26, until Dziko was fouled on the last shot, and made three free throws to put the score at 30-29.
Both Vashon and Seattle Christian traded baskets for much of the fourth period, then, with less than a minute to go, Forest hit a free throw to get Vashon’s deficit to one point: 40-39. With time running out, and needing possession of the ball, Vashon fouled to put Toy at the charity stripe. He made the first one, but missed the second shot, and Dziko secured the rebound. Twenty five seconds on the clock gave Vashon some time to work for a shot with the score 41-39. Chavez missed a runner, but Danielsen got the rebound and a timeout was called. With 10 seconds remaining, Forest took the inbound pass, drove left around a defender, jumped into the paint and twisted up to the basket for a score to send the game into overtime, tied at 41.
But Seattle Christian complained that there was still time on the clock. With 1.8 seconds remaining, the Warriors wanted to throw a desperation pass the length of the floor, a prayer really, and a chance at a basket. Warrior Harrison Hohimer wound up and threw a pass, but Dziko leapt up, caught the ball and, while everyone was in shock at how high Dziko jumped, had the presence of mind to shoot the ball after he landed, at the buzzer. It did not go in, but despite the miss, Dziko’s effort had the effect of claiming sovereignty over the outcome of this game.
The extra period started with Toy getting a lay-in for the Warriors. Edmonds then drove into the lane and scored a lay-in to answer for the Pirates. Danielsen hit a turnaround jumper to put Vashon in the lead 45-43, followed by a Seattle Christian turnover, and two free throws by Danielsen, the Pirates led 47-43.
Zack Vanderley hit two free throws to answer for Seattle Christian, followed by two free throws by Edmonds and a 4-point lead for the Pirates. After a long offensive set, the Warriors lost the ball out-of-bounds. With one minute left in the game, the Warriors fouled to get the ball back, but with time running down, the Pirates made their free throws, for the 52-45 victory.
Dziko led scoring with 11 points, Edmonds and Forest each had 10 and Chavez had 9 points. Toy led Seattle Christian with 15 points.
In the junior varsity game, Vashon won 48-46, in the second overtime.
Ahead of VHS now is a showdown with each of the remaining teams that have the opportunity to knock them out of the race for the Nisqually league championship. The Pirates will take on Cascade Christian at home at 7 p.m. Friday. The winner will likely get the highest seed for the district playoff. Then at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 6, the boys will take on Bellevue Christian in the VHS gym for the team’s final home game.
— Daniel Briggs is the father of a VHS varsity boys’ basketball player.
