Olympia Wins Battle of the Bears Against Tahoma

Olympia Wins Battle of the Bears Against Tahoma
By Steve Dion

Olympia senior Liam Murphy

Saturday night at Tahoma High School featured a bear brawl between host Tahoma and Olympia. The home team jumped out to a early lead as Tagen Whitaker and Hayden Sundstrom combined for 19 first half points. The pair outscored the entire output for Olympia in the opening two quarters as their early foul trouble prevented them from finding a rhythm. Additionally, Oly dealt with the misfortunes of a pesky rim that denied several shots that appeared to be on the way down the hatch. At the break, THS led 22-15 with a heavy dose of momentum that would propel their effort at a major upset in the final two frames.

Clearly displeased with the execution of his team in the first half, coach John Kiley brought Olympia back onto the court with significant time remaining in the intermission period. Tahoma was unfazed by the increased intensity shown by the Oly defense as their crisp ball movement led to back-door cuts and open jumpers. David Woodward jump-started the OHS attack late in the third by scoring 8 of his 15 total points which tied Brett Thompson for the team lead. The two seniors additionally led an increased defensive emphasis to spark a run that caused the Olympia fans to rise to their feet. Clayton Stultz quieted the crowd on a pivotal late possession in the third by burying a mid-range jumper that was preceded by a series of great ball movement by Tahoma. The home team led by a half-dozen heading into the final quarter.

An early foul in the fourth on Stultz forced Coach Kilgallon to substitute for his dominant post to which Olympia responded with a run that closed the game. An acrobatic shot by Woodward while drawing contact fell and Olympia could sense they were in control. Thompson was able to knock down some tough shots in the block to add to the lead Oly finally obtained. In his postgame comments, Coach Kiley praised the defense by stating, “I thought the guys dug pretty deep…Brett (Thompson) and David Woodward both just willed something to happen!” Stultz returned and drained some tough jumpers, but the damage was done. Olympia was able to avoid a big loss on their impressive season resume. When asked what was the catalyst for the momentum to shift, Coach Kiley replied, “Once we started to jump some passing lanes smartly in good balance, we were able to make some plays.” Despite the loss, Tahoma can build off their effort on Saturday night.

The Final Score
Olympia 48, Tahoma 43.

Top Performers:
Olympia
David Woodward- 15 points
Brett Thompson- 15 points

Tahoma
Clayton Stultz- 12 points