The Pirate boys handed Charles Wright a loss Wednesday night, 61-40. Coupled with Bellevue Christian’s earlier loss to Cascade Christian, 47-27, Vashon has won the Nisqually league championship. With that, they are the number one seed from the Nisqually League in the West Central District tournament.

The last home game for the 2019 VHS seniors both started and finished as a celebration. Jacob Chavez, Kalen Cunningham, Sol Dehnert, Tommy Delargy and Colin Pottinger were honored with their families on the court, as the band played and the crowd cheered in appreciation of four years of commitment to this basketball team. At the end of the game, Coach Andy Sears left the five seniors on the court, and they received a standing ovation. The five seniors exulted in accomplishing their goal of having had lots of fun playing together over the years and winning the Nisqually League Championship.

The game began with Jeremiah Bogaard getting an entry pass into Pottinger. He faked left, then whirled right and placed the ball onto the glass for 2 points. Nathaniel Hosannah, 6’4” CWA junior, answered with a hook shot from the right side. Dane Jacobson hit a runner for the Tarriers. Chavez then hit the first of what would be seven 3-point shots for the night, and the Pirates now had a lead that they would not give up. Thirty seconds later Chavez hit his second shot from the 3-point line.

Jayson Floyd hit a short jump shot, but those were the last points in the first period for CWA, as the Pirates went on a 9-0 run to end the quarter, leading 17-6.

Isaac Patchen hit a right-handed hook shot early in the second period, and quickly the Tarriers’ guard Hosannah answered with a basket. CWA spaced themselves on the floor well and did a good job distributing the ball, but they were absolutely cold from the field. And shots from inside the paint were highly contested by the Pirates, and very few found the bottom of the net. Still, Hosannah got another offensive rebound that he put back on the glass for 2 points.

Bogaard knocked down a long 3, and with three minutes left in the first half, the VHS lead was 22-10. On the next offensive possession, Bogaard snuck underneath the basket on the left side; Pottinger got the ball to him, and he scored. Hosannah managed another basket from an offensive rebound, and just before the buzzer, Cunningham raced by his defender for a twisting layup and a 26-12 halftime lead.

In the second half, the Pirates turned the game into a rout. Pottinger hit from both inside and outside, going 6-11 from the field, and scored 14 points. Chavez appeared on the perimeter every few minutes with the ball in his hands, and staring at the rim, put fear in the hearts of his defenders. When he shot, it was without hesitation, blistering the net on five of nine attempts (in the second half) and 21 points for the night. Bogaard pulled down six rebounds, dished out seven assists, and scored 10 points. Other players scoring for the Pirates were the following: Delargy 4, Patchen 4, Cunningham 3, Dehnert 3 and sophomore Ty Radford 2.

The West Central District playoff season is next, with Cascade Christian meeting Port Townsend in the first game. That winner will face the Pirates on Feb. 13 at Bellarmine Prep High School. Bellevue Christian will play Klahowya on Feb. 13 also. The winners play each other for the championship and higher seeding in the regional bracket. Three teams will advance from the West Central District to compete at the regional tourney.

— Daniel Briggs is the parent of a former VHS basketball player.