Weary Bullpups bow out
TACOMA – The Gonzaga Prep Bullpups’ run at the State 4A boys basketball tournament came to an end Friday, buried 61-48 by an Inglemoor team that ended the season of two Greater Spokane League teams.
But the real culprits at the Tacoma Dome were tired legs.
The Bullpups’ tired legs.
“We dominated the boards early,” said G-Prep coach Mike Haugen of the 20-11 first-half rebounding advantage. “I don’t think they were ready for how tough we are rebounding. We might have built a cushion if we had made some shots.”
G-Prep grabbed eight offensive rebounds in the opening quarter but only converted two of them into points. Because of that and 27 percent shooting, the Bullpups trailed by two at the break. Then the turnovers came.
The Pups turned it over seven times in the second quarter and the Vikings’ Steve Campbell and Erik Sederholm, both 6-foot-4, took advantage. The duo was 7 of 8 from the floor at halftime with a combined 17 points. More important, G-Prep trailed 31-23.
“They have an excellent team,” Haugen said of the King-Co Central Division champions and one of the pre-tournament favorites. “We would have had to play flawless to beat them.”
Especially when injured legs – starters Michael Johnson and K.C.Anderson both missed the game because of lower-body injuries – are added to tired ones. The Bullpups, after shooting 39 percent in the opening half, fell to 29 percent after halftime.
Senior Ryan Murphy, who carried the Bullpups with eight first-half points, missed his seven second-half shots and finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Brandon Kennedy rebounded from a poor shooting night Thursday to hit 6 of 10 attempts and lead G-Prep with 13 points.
But the Vikings’ leading scorer, Skyler Riley, got untracked in the second half – he had two points at halftime but finished with a game-high 19 – and Inglemoor (23-3) was on its way to play for its first state trophy.
Other games
Kentwood 42, South Kitsap 36: Aaron Boyce scored six of his 16 points during a 14-1 run to start the fourth quarter, and the defending champion Conquerors (24-5) rallied to defeat the Wolves (26-2) in the evening’s first semifinal.
Bethel 47, Mountlake Terrace 44: Jordan Sutton scored 16 points, and Brandon Moore added a game-high eight rebounds and two free throws with 12 seconds left as the Braves (27-2) edged the Hawks (21-6) to advance to tonight’s title game against Kentwood.
Prairie 55, Roosevelt 51: Orlandor Westbrooks totaled 13 points and seven rebounds as the Falcons (24-7) eliminated the Roughriders (21-7) to advance to today’s game for fifth and eighth places.
Eisenhower 66, North Kitsap 51: Brandon Johnson scored eight of his 29 points during a 17-0 fourth-quarter run as the Cadets (25-4) of Yakima ousted the Vikings (18-11) to qualify for today’s game for fourth and seventh places.
Snohomish 67, Curtis 59: University of Washington-bound forward Jon Brockman totaled 22 points and 18 rebounds as the Panthers (20-7) eliminated the Vikings (20-8) to advance to this afternoon’s game against Eisenhower.