Holiday tournament

The Vashon High School boys basketball team traveled to Leavenworth for the Cascade Holiday Tournament Dec. 27 and 28. Their first opponent was Manson, and they cruised to a 63-24 win. The Pirates made their first five shots and were never threatened after that, as they ended the initial quarter leading 15-7.

In the second quarter, VHS caused multiple Manson turnovers with a full court press. This led to fast break points that put the game out of reach, with the halftime score at 32-12.

Manson could only manage 5 points in the third quarter, while VHS hit from deep repeatedly. The Pirates hit 50 percent from the field. Tommy Delargy led, scoring with 16 points, while Isaac Patchen snared nine rebounds, and Edgar Hernandez-Torres grabbed another eight.

Championship game

On Dec. 28, Vashon was in the championship game against Forks, winner of the game with the host, Cascade High School. The Pirates lost in overtime, 70-69.

In the first half, Vashon saw the ball bounce in their favor. Delargy was making fast break layups, and Jacob Chavez was hitting from behind the 3-point arc whenever he got an open look at the basket. When the buzzer rang at intermission, VHS was leading 36-16.

The third quarter saw Vashon get sloppy with passes and neglect to work to find the tall guy down under the basket. Forks clawed back into the game by penetrating into the lane and shooting from 6 feet away. Still, they could only improve the score to 47-30 at the end of the third period.

During the fourth period, Forks took over the game, torching the Pirates 26-39. Forks employed a full court press, resulting in hurried offensive sets by the Pirates. The Vashon twin towers, Finbarr Anderson and Hernandez-Torres, easy targets for hurried guards, were rarely included in the offensive scheme.

Forks, on the other hand, was hitting every shot they threw at the hoop, and frequently got the offensive rebounds.

Regulation ended knotted at 56. In the three-minute period, baskets were traded fairly evenly.

With a minute left on the clock, Isaac Patchen snuck under the hoop, Jeremiah Bogaard got the ball to him, and he put the Pirates in the lead, 68-67. Sol Dehnert stole the ball with 30 seconds left, and then Chavez was fouled. He went to the free throw line with 22 seconds remaining and a 1-point lead. He made the first one. Now with the score 69-67, you could see shoulders relaxing on the Vashon bench. The second free throw did not get converted. Forks rebounded the ball, took a shot, missed and Chavez got the rebound. He was fouled with nine seconds on the clock. At the charity stripe again, neither shot would fall, and on the rebound, Vashon was called for a foul.

Now, Forks had a one and one opportunity at the line that could tie the game. The shooter missed, but the rebound went to Forks’ leading scorer, #33, a stout swingman. From behind the 3-point arc, without hesitation, he buried the shot. That put Forks in the lead 70-69, and that’s how it ended.

North Kitsap

On Jan. 2, after a torrid show on the court in the first quarter, Vashon cooled off and was outscored 20-6 in the second period, as North Kitsap won 69-57. VHS shot a respectable 45 percent from the field, but North Kitsap countered that with 56 percent.

Vashon scoring was led by hot shooting Delargy with 28 points. He converted on eight of 11 shots from beyond the 3-point arc. Chavez had 12, and Colin Pottinger scored 11 points.

The loss dropped the Pirates to a record of 7-3, with league play set to start on Jan. 4.

Bellevue Christian

The Vashon boys’ basketball team traveled to Bellevue on Jan. 4 for its first league game this season. The Pirates traded baskets initially, but steamrolled Bellevue Christian in the second quarter, and then cruised to a 49-39 victory over the Vikings.

The Vikings boast nine seniors that went to the playoffs last year. This night the Vikings were stone cold from the field, shooting just 32 percent, and never seriously contended on the scoreboard.

The score was 28-11 at the half after the Pirates completely shut down the Bellevue offense in the second quarter. Early in the quarter, 6’7” Viking star Ken West made a driving layup from the left side, but his team went scoreless for the next six minutes, while Delargy slashed inside repeatedly for layins to extend the Vashon lead.

Vashon got on the board first in the third period, as Bogaard darted through the Viking defense for a reverse layup. With six minutes remaining in the third period, BCHS got a basket that put an end to an eight-minute scoring drought. Bellevue did not mount a sustainable offense and could only score from occasional layups by West, as VHS battled for rebounds, hit from downtown, and ended the third quarter leading 40-22.

The fourth period saw Bellevue find the hoop more easily, perhaps helped by desperation. It was too little, too late, as the Pirates preserved the league victory, with a domination of the defensive boards.

Delargy had 19 points, and Bogaard made his presence known with 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists.

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