Despite Foul Mood, Ducks Sink Garfield-Palouse

Night session

The people directly involved in the action had different responses when Nick Andrew fouled out Wednesday.

Toutle Lake coach Eric Swanson, watching his big man take a seat on the bench, thought, “Well, it’s not the first time this has happened this season.”

Garfield-Palouse coach Tim Coles, whose team trailed 67-59 when the 6-foot-5 Andrew sat down at the 2:56 mark, mused, “Now we have to get the ball inside. We have to take advantage of this.”

And guard Kevin Grabenhorst, one of the crucial players who helped Toutle Lake hold on for a 74-62 win, thought back to one year earlier. Toutle Lake and Gar-Pal, playing for fourth and seventh places at the boys State B basketball tournament, would settle the matter with Andrew - and his five fouls - sitting squarely on the bench.

“We’ve learned to handle the pressure,” said Toutle Lake forward Greg Kilponen, whose Ducks also beat Gar-Pal last year.

But this year, fifth-ranked Toutle Lake (23-1) is setting its hopes on something better than fourth place. Given Wednesday night’s opening performance, the Ducks may have a shot at their first title game.

Grabenhorst and Gary Wick combined to make 6 of 6 free throws in the final 1:22, and Toutle scored the game’s final seven points after the sixth-ranked Vikings (22-4) trimmed the Ducks’ lead to five.

“We knew (Gar-Pal) wasn’t going to go away,” Swanson said. “For a first-round game, the fans sure got their money’s worth.”

Toutle Lake plays a quarterfinal at 8 tonight against Summit, which stunned defending champion Northwest Christian 73-52 in the late game.

The other quarterfinal, at 6:30, features second-ranked Sprague-Harrington (27-1) against Snohomish County Christian (18-6). S-H defeated Mabton 53-44 and SCC stopped Pe Ell 69- 58.

Andrew had his way early, scoring eight points in the first quarter. But the senior center picked up his second foul late in the quarter and sat down.

Gar-Pal’s Steve Cofield scored eight of his 14 in the first quarter, boosting the Vikings to a 17-16 edge.

Andrew returned 2:12 into the second quarter, but Kilpolnen’s 3-point shooting was the main factor in the changing tide.

“I knew they weren’t expecting that,” said Kilponen, who made a pair of 3s during a 12-0 run that gave the Ducks a 33-23 lead.

The final three baskets during that run came after Grabenhorst steals.

“And it was against three different guys,” Coles lamented.

Andrew had to back off on defense during the second half, but Grabenhorst had three 3-pointers and Kilponen another in the third quarter. Rob Tiegs kept Gar-Pal close with eight third-quarter points.

When Andrew was assessed No. 5, Travis Sparks slowed Tiegs as best he could. Tiegs helped Gar-Pal within 67-62, but the final 1:45 was all Toutle.

“We stepped up at the end … we kind of just hung in there,” Swanson said.