One win and two losses in the Tri-District tournament last week gave the Vashon boys basketball team a fourth seed into the “Sweet 16” first round of the 1A state tournament, held Feb. 25 and 26.
The Pirates hosted the King’s High School Knights on Tuesday, Feb. 15, and started off with a strong offensive show. Tyler Stoffer converted for two on the Pirates’ first possession, and Ben Whitaker followed with two 3-pointers. Adrian Arceo, Jesse Hazzard and Alex Wegner all dropped in treys, while Hamzah Griffin and Kyle Bakker pounded in two each to end the first quarter with a 21-9 Pirate lead.
The Knights came back in the second quarter with a shower of 3-pointers to answer the Pirates, putting up 12 points to the Pirates’ nine. At the half, the Pirates held a 30-23 lead.
The Knights came back on the court in the third to shave five more points off the Pirate lead. Wegner rose up to block the shot that would have tied the game. King’s pushed, but Vashon kept the lead. In the final seconds, the Knights sank a 3-pointer to bring the game to within one point. With a few seconds left in the quarter, Hazzard answered with a 3-pointer for the Pirates and the buzzer sounded with a 40-36 Pirate lead.
Wegner and Whitaker went to work in the fourth, sinking three to King’s one. But the Knights fought back, draining threes. With just over a minute left, after being fouled on a 3-pointer, the Knights sank all three from the line to make it a two-point game once again.
But the Pirates would not be denied, and they pulled ahead with points by Wegner, Whitaker and Griffin. The Knights dropped in one more 3-pointer to make it 10 for the night, while the clock ticked down on a 58-53 Pirate win on the board. The Green Tide swayed in the bleachers while chanting “On to State, on to State.”
Scoring for the Pirates: Wegner (29), Whitaker (10), Hazzard (6), Arceo (5), Griffin (6), Bakker (2), Stoffer (2)
The win guaranteed the Pirates a seed into the state tournament. The Pirates have defeated the Knights seven time in a row, beginning with the 2007-2008 season.
On Thursday, the Pirates traveled to Mountlake Terrace High School to face a talented Lynden Christian team in the third round of the Tri-District tournament.
The Pirates came up short with a 34-56 loss in a game where Lynden Christian out-rebounded Vashon 49-30. Defensive pressure forced high Pirate turnovers, and Vashon struggled with scoring: Wegner (9), Whitaker (6), Jeff Rauma (6), Griffin (5), Bakker (4), Arceo (3), Stoffer (1).
The Pirates were back up at Mountlake Terrace on Saturday morning to play Nooksack Valley for the fourth round.
Fans expecting to see an exciting match-up between Nooksack’s Kyle Impero, Washington’s 1A Player of the Year, and Alex Wegner, were disappointed to see that Wegner wasn’t suited up for the game due to a foot injury in the previous game.
Jeff Rauma moved to the starting lineup, and it was an energetic and disciplined team that hit the floor and executed well.
Nooksack hit a 3-pointer on their first possession, but Vashon followed with 10 unanswered points: two from Griffin, a three from Arceo, two free-throws from Whitaker and a banked three from Stoffer. Nooksack rallied back with 10, then Bakker and Whitaker each hit for two. The quarter ended with a 14-13 lead.
Stoffer hit two to start the second, but then the Pirate shooting went dry while Nooksack put in 16. Vashon fell behind, 16-29, by halftime.
Rauma hit an early two in the second half. Bakker found his rhythm in the paint to pound in three baskets for six points. Whitaker hit a 3-pointer, followed by a second 3-pointer off an Arceo steal. By the end of the half, Vashon had put in 24 to Nooksack’s 27 and ended with a 40-56 loss.
Scoring for the Pirates: Whitaker (10), Griffin (9), Bakker (8), Rauma (5), Stoffer (5), Arceo (3)
“I’m really happy about how the guys came through,” said coach Andy Sears after the game. “If they keep playing the way they played today, we’ll win some games.”
Vashon will face Ilwaco on Friday, Feb. 25, at Glacier Peak High school for the first round of the state playoffs. The winner will play a second game on Saturday, while the loser will be out of the tournament.
