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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

NWC moves to semifinals by lashing Loggers


Northwest Christian shuts down Darrington's Justin O'Dell as he drives to the basket. 
 (Christopher Anderson / The Spokesman-Review)
Grant Yamasaki Staff writer

The Northwest Christian boys are well on their way in their quest for their third straight state title.

The Crusaders took care of business Thursday night in a rematch from last year’s State 2B semifinal against Darrington. This year the Crusaders defeated the Loggers one round earlier with a 66-43 victory.

Northwest Christian took off from the opening tip. The Crusaders trailed only once, at 2-0, and outscored their opponents by 25 points the rest of the way.

The Crusaders also showed they can play great defense down the stretch, giving up only five points in the final quarter.

The Crusaders rode their hot shooting (47.3 percent) the entire night. They were led by senior guard John Graham, who controlled the backcourt and was one of three Crusaders who scored in double figures with 15.

Bench production was a key for the Crusaders as they outscored the Loggers 15-3 in that category. Junior Cameron Stephens led the Crusaders off the bench with 10.

“Stephens did a great job off the bench for us tonight,” Northwest Christian head coach Ray Ricks said. “He played well and hit some big shots.”

Another category the Crusaders dominated was the second-chance points, at 24-5. One main reason for that was junior Matt Zandbergen, who did the dirty work for his team by taking charges and getting six offensive rebounds.

“I just come out and do my best,” said Zandbergen, who finished the game with 12 points and 12 rebounds. “I just do my part and do everything I can to keep the team going.”

A high point for the Loggers came from junior Mike Parris, who dominated the low block for his team on offense. Parris finished with a game-high 18 points and five rebounds.

“I always challenge Mike (Parris) to be one of the best out on floor,” said Darrington coach Jeff Bryson. “He’s got great talent and he’s a tough load to stop out there for the other team.”

Northwest Christian used its veteran leadership and experience. It really worked to its advantage in the third quarter as the Crusaders pulled away from the Loggers after they had closed the gap to seven points.

“Our veterans, (Chase) Ramey and Graham, have a lot of tournament experience and it made a huge difference,” Ricks said.

Although Northwest Christian is only two wins away from a third consecutive title, their coach and players insist they are just taking the tournament one game at a time.

“Tomorrow is just another game,” said senior Graham. “Everything hasn’t sunk in yet, but to know we are one of the top four teams in the state is great.”

Northwest Christian controlled the boards, outrebounding the Loggers 42-20. The Crusaders also outscored their opponents 10-3 at the free-throw line.

The Crusaders move onto the semifinals tonight at 6 against Liberty Bell. Ricks expects a physical game.

“We are just taking it one game at a time,” Ricks said. “It’s nice to be in the trophy round. The Liberty Bell game will be a battle. They are a very tough team.”

Connor Walsh’s 23 points led the way for Liberty Bell. The Mountain Lions of Winthrop led by nine points at halftime and received a boost from Walsh’s 12 third-quarter points.

The Loggers will play league rival La Conner in the loser-out game this afternoon at 2:30.

“We just need to bounce back mentally,” Bryson said. “All kids think they can win a championship until they lose. Now we need to make sure to refocus. It’s always a battle when we play La Conner.”