Eagles bounce back from early lull to tip U-Hi
The West Valley Eagles entered the basketball season with high expectations.
Coming off a fourth-place finish in the State 3A basketball tournament, the Eagles return all five starters and seven of their top eight. They were ranked second in the first Seattle Times poll and that was before top-ranked Rainier Beach lost its opener.
All that seemed a little too heavy a load 6 minutes into Tuesday night’s non-league matchup with Valley foe University, as West Valley trailed by four. With the home crowd starting to mumble, the Eagles finally began to rumble, outscoring the Titans 16-1 over the next 8:30 en route to a 56-42 win.
“They have to re-train themselves to where they were at the end of last year,” Eagles coach Jamie Nilles said of the early sloppy play. “We’re still a work in progress. We played better in stretches tonight, more than we did last Friday, but we still have to find that edge, that sense of urgency we had last year.
“We’re wearing a target, sure, but we still need to prove ourselves.”
The Eagles, led by roadrunner-quick point guard Arton Toussaint, want to fly. But in their hurry to get going, they forgot to bring the ball, turning it over eight times in the first 6 minutes.
“Give (the Titans) credit, they did a good job early,” Nilles said, “but we were a little flat coming out.
“As coaches, we have to be a little patient with them. We know we aren’t where we want to be. But we have expectations.”
The next 8-plus minutes showed why, as the Eagles either played volleyball on the offensive glass – they had five attempts on one possession – or fired over the foul-plagued Titans.
Greg Bradley, who hit three 3-pointers en route to a game-high 19 points, started the run with a 3-point shot and Toussaint finished it with two free throws, part of six he had on the night.
Toussaint took just four shots, but he controlled the tempo and the key, slashing to the hoop and finding an open teammate.
“Coach always tells me to get in the middle, sit down and dish,” the soft-spoken senior said. “As a point guard, I’m really not a scorer but a passer.”
His other job was to help keep the U-Hi guards under control. In the first quarter, the Eagles (2-0) couldn’t corral Kyle Olson, who had 10 of his team-high 15 points in the first 6 minutes.
But the Titans (0-2) had only four shots in the second quarter and turned the ball over seven times.
A big reason for the margin was the Eagles’ 35-22 edge on the boards, with E.J. Richardson grabbing eight, seven after halftime.
Ferris 48, Shadle Park 46 (OT)
Shawn Stockton’s layup at the buzzer lifted the Saxons (2-0) to a victory over the host Highlanders (1-1).
Ferris had to claw back from a five-point halftime deficit to get to the extra period.Stockton led his team with 11 points. The game leader was 6-foot-7 Shadle senior Josh Landsverk, who finished with 18.
North Central 71, Mead 62
Damal Neil and the rest of the visiting Indians turned it on in the second half, with the senior post player scoring 16 of his game-high 22 after halftime. That helped NC (1-1) outscore the Panthers 47-31 in the second half. NC guards Eric Beal and Nick Rijon chipped in 13 and 12, respectively. Ben Loewen paced Mead with 18 points, including two 3-pointers.
Mt. Spokane 68, Lewis and Clark 57
The Wildcats increased their record to 2-0 behind the 24 points of Matt Dorr. The senior hit 11 of 12 from the line as visiting Mt. Spokane converted 21 of 28. T.J. Lee-Hill led LC (0-4) with 18 before fouling out. Nick Hardrick added 13 and seven rebounds.
Cheney 46, Gonzaga Prep 40
The Blackhawks (1-2) started quickly, jumping out to a 14-3 lead after a quarter, and 6-7 center Matt Brunell finished strongly, scoring eight of his 15 points in the fourth quarter, to hold off the visiting Bullpups (1-1). Scotty Alexander had 11 for the Bullpups.
Central Valley 71, East Valley 47
The Bears (2-0) had three players in double figures, led by Brad Johnson’s 12. After leading by six at the half, they held the host Knights (0-2) to just six third-quarter points. Dylan Sattin had 14 for EV.
Rogers 63, Clarkston 48
Scotty Livengood continued to tear up GSL opposition. Last year’s league scoring leader scored 28 points as the Pirates (2-1) posted a victory in Clarkston (1-1).
Rogers did its damage in the first half, building a 34-17 lead.