Auburn-Mountainview Escapes Tornados Down the Stretch

Auburn-Mountainview Escapes Tornados Down the Stretch
By Steven Dion

Auburn-Mountainview Junior Victor Daggs

Day one of the 2014 Christmas Classic presented by Oberto matched up 3A SPSL representative in Auburn-Mountainview and Yelm of the 4A Narrows. Advancement to the second round in the winner’s bracket was on the line as the team that prevailed will take on the winner of the Kennedy Catholic/Cascade Christian game which would follow this one. The intriguing matchup in this game would be how the dynamic guards of AM in Victor Daggs and Ryan Lacey would fill the scoresheet against versatile forward Christian Davis of the Tornados.

The Lions captured an early lead in the game as 5 players scored in the opening quarter. Conversely, Yelm could not buy a bucket to start the game as their first points came nearly five minutes into the game. The scoring drought ceased quickly as Davis sparked a second quarter Yelm run. The 6’4 junior tallied 15 points in the second quarter as part of his game-high 27 points which helped the Tornados chip away at the early deficit they dug themselves into. On the other end of the floor AMHS’ Lacey notched nine of his own to maintain a five point lead heading into halftime. With a scoreboard reading 38-33 into the break, this game was shaping up for an exciting finish.

Auburn-Mountainview’s head coach Thomas Ostrander appeared to address his team’s size advantage during halftime as his 6’10 center Tristan Miguel played a major role in the pivotal third quarter. His rebounding on both sides of the floor led to second chances on offense and limiting Yelm’s time of possession. Miguel had 7 big points in the third which the Lions went on an 11-6 run in just under 5 minutes. However, early foul troubles by the Lions helped Yelm enter the double bonus with over 2 minutes remaining in the third quarter. At the third quarter buzzer, AM heaved a desperation throw from near mid-court. In a lapse of discipline, Yelm fouled the shooter giving Moutainview 3 free throws. This gave the Lions an 11 point lead heading into the fourth. That margin ballooned by an additional 14 points in the final 8 minutes as the 7 Lions scored in the fourth quarter while limiting Yelm to only 8 points. Auburn-Mountainview knocked down 17 of their 25 free throws in the contest en route to a big opening round win.

The Final Score: Auburn-Mountainview 83 Yelm 58

Top Performers:
Auburn-Mountainview
Victor Daggs and Ryan Lacey-18 points

Yelm
Christian Davis-27 points