Todd Beamer outlasts Olympia
By Colin Caruso 

In the first game of the King Holiday Hoopfest, the Todd Beamer Titans hold off the late surging Olympia Bears with the final score of 60-54.  Beamer got off to a quick start, with two three-pointers in the first quarter from guard Juwan Flowers.  From there the Titans began their full-court press which they maintained throughout the rest of the contest.

Olympia began their first run early in the second quarter, forcing turnovers and capitalizing on their size with easy buckets on the interior.  But Todd Beamer continued to score, with guard Trey Burch-Manning putting in eight points in the second quarter, to extend the Titan lead to 30-24 at the half.

Todd Beamer maintained their lead in the third quarter, trading buckets with Olympia and beating them off the dribble, forcing help defense from the Bears.  The Titans did a great job of making the extra pass, opening up uncontested mid and close range opportunities.  Both teams scored 16 points in the third quarter and 14 points in the fourth quarter, with the Todd Beamer Titans winning 60-54.

Leading Scorers:

Todd Beamer – Juwan Flowers (17), Trey Burch-Manning (17)

Olympia – Brendan Leonard (16), Michael Champlin (14)

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Top Girl Squads Battle on Monday at SPU
By Colin Caruso 

Wilson jumped out to an early 11-4 lead, capitalizing on missed free throws from Cleveland and forcing turnovers with their relentless defense.  Cleveland didn’t help their cause, missing some tough shots and giving Wilson a 17-9 lead at the end of the first.

Cleveland began their come back against man to man in the second, forcing Wilson to switch into zone. Both teams did a great job creating opportunities off the dribble and getting to the rim.  Cleveland began full court pressing late in the second quarter, disrupting the Wilson offense and creating fast break opportunities.  Cleveland guard Makayla Roper was held scoreless in the first quarter, but broke out with eight points for the Eagles in the second.

Wilson continued to do a good job of getting to the rim in the third quarter, as they converted on several inside scoring chances.  Cleveland extended their lead to 45-35 at the end of the third, primarily hitting mid-range jump shots.

The Cleveland Eagles began pouring in the points early in the fourth, beating Wilson down the floor and capitalizing on defensive breakdowns.  Cleveland extended their lead to 16 mid-way through the fourth but Wilson came back on a 11-0 run to cut the lead to five.  Clutch free-throws by Roper in the final seconds secured a 60-53 victory for the Cleveland Eagles.

Leading Scorers:
Cleveland
Makayla Roper (23)
Myzhanique Ladd (11)

Wilson
Bethany Montgomery (18)
Tia Briggs (9)

Lakeside’s Trap Pinches O’Dea, Lions win 69-54
By Colin Caruso 

Lakeside’s relentless backcourt trap gave the Lions easy transition baskets early, jumping out to a 13-9 first quarter lead.  Lions guard Tremaine Isabell led the rally with eight points of his own.  O’Dea continued to have difficulties with the trap early in the second quarter, not finding the open man when Lakeside brought the additional defender.  When O’Dea was able to break the trap they were left with easy chances and baskets at the rim.  O’Dea, led by Aaron Falaniko and his 14 in the second quarter, kept the deficit to just four going into the second half.

Lakeside backed off the pressure to start the second half, but continued to build their lead by spreading the floor and capitalizing on open looks.  Seven Lions scored in the third period, to close the quarter with a 54-44 lead.  O’Dea could not match Lakeside’s intensity in the fourth quarter, allowing Lakeside to extend the lead to 19 late in the period, 67-48.  Lakeside discontinued the trap in the fourth, matching up at half court, but still forcing the Irish into tough jump shots.

The Lions quickness off the dribble changed the course of this game, forcing help defense from the Irish and creating open looks for Lakeside.  Lakeside held on to their big lead winning 69-54.

Leading Scorers:
Lakeside
Tramaine Isabell (25)
D’Marques Tyson (18)

O’Dea
Aaron Falaniko (20)
Jamie Orme (10)

Jackson Survives Scare vs. Bellevue
By Colin Caruso 

The game began with a frantic pace, both teams running up and down the floor in transition.  With a lot of dribble penetration, Jackson was able to create open jump shot opportunities.  Eight straight points by Jackson in the first quarter answered Bellevue’s 7-0 run, giving the Timberwolves a 16-11 lead at the end of one.  Bellevue countered early in the second, starting the quarter on an 11-4 run and taking the lead by three.  Jackson answered with a few buckets of their own, closing the quarter with the lead 25-23.  Only two Jackson players scored in the first half, Jason Todd with 13 and Brian Zehr with 12.

Bellevue dropped back into a 2-3 zone to start the second half, forcing outside shots from the Timberwolves.  The Timberwolves made four threes in the quarter, led by Dan Kingma’s 3 three pointers.  Bellevue’s Michael Carlson avenged his 0 for 8 start in the first half, scoring eight points in the quarter to give the Wolverines a 44-41 lead.  The frantic pace of the game kept up in the fourth quarter, with the Timberwolves irking out a one point lead with 49 seconds left in the contest.  Jackson forward Jason Todd made six clutch free throws down the stretch to give the Timberwolves a three point win, 58-55.

Leading Scorers:
Jackson
Jason Todd (21)
Brian Zehr (17)

Bellevue
Michael Carlson (13)
Jack Walton and Jackson Rezab (11)

Jefferson Beats Mount Rainier on Buzzer Beater

The King Holiday Hoopfest welcomed the only team from outside of the state of Washington, the Jefferson Democrats (OR) late in the day.  Both teams came out shooting, seemingly taking every open three available.  The Mount Rainier Rams got out on top quickly and ended the first quarter on top 22-16.  After an inspired talk by Coach Pat Strickland, the second quarter was a different story for the Democrats.  Jefferson caught fire in the second period, scoring 26 points.  Victor Sanders led the way for the Democrats, scoring 10 of his own in the second quarter.  Jefferson took a convincing 42-33 lead into the locker room.

The third quarter was almost as one sided as the second quarter, this time it was in favor of the Rams.  The Rams outscored the Democrats 18-12, cutting the once nine point lead to just three going into the fourth.

The Rams made another run in the fourth quarter, taking the lead with less than a minute to go on strong moves to the basket and mid-range jump shots.  Jefferson was down one with 10 seconds to go and the ball.  The Democrats would need to travel the full length of the court to get a shot off.  The inbounds pass went to Silas Melson, who weaved in between defenders and put up a flooooooater in the lane at the buzzer.  The shot went in as time expired! Portland’s Jefferson Democrats traveled down I5 Monday Night with a big win and a story they will tell for years to come.

Leading Scorers:
Jefferson
Victor Sanders (24)
Silas Melson (19)

Mount Rainier
Caden Rowland (21)
Jamil Wilson-Jones (18)