Puyallup Grabs First Round District Win Over South Kitsap


Puyallup Grabs First Round District Win Over South Kitsap
By Nic Beckman

Wednesday- February 10th 2016 Boys 4A Districts
Puyallup High School 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
South Kitsap 13 17 14 11 55
Puyallup 11 23 11 14 59

First round play in West Central District 3 action had the Wolves of South Kitsap crossing the Narrows bridge to play at Puyallup. The Vikings with the timely return of second leading scorer Tony Gutierrez back from a quadriceps injury that has kept him out of action for nearly a month were happy to be playing at home. A fast paced first quarter saw South Kitsap with all five of the Wolves starters getting buckets and the first foul of the game whistled with just 3.4 seconds left in the period. Wolves on top 13-11 heading into the second. Six 3’s, 2 each by Jaden Vollmen, Landen Neff and Tony Gutierrez had the Vikings up 34-30 at half. It was Daniel Tomkiewicz with 9 second quarter points who led all scorers at half with 11.

Coach John Callaghan’s SK team kept pace with the Vikings with another 8 points from Tomkiewicz, who would tie the game at 42 with a 3 followed by Isaiah Lewis in the lane and the Wolves were up 44-42 with under 2 minutes left in the third. Gutierrez with 3 first half 3’s added another with 1:35 left to give Puyallup back the lead 45-44 heading into the final 8 minutes. Vikings coach Scott Campbell turned up the Viking pressure and kept the Wolves from scoring for more than 4 minutes. Puyallup built the lead to 54-44 until an Eric Wattree free throw broke the drought, bringing the lead back under 10 at 54-45 with 3:24 remaining. Wattree would add 7 more points in the period and end with 16 on the night, while teammate Daniel Tomkiewicz with four 3’s in the game, would lead SK with 22. The lead would prove too much as Puyallup would hold on behind the game high 23 points of Tony Gutierrez, getting 6 from beyond the arc. The Final Score Puyallup 59 South Kitsap 55.

Puyallup moves on in the winners side of the bracket to meet Curtis on Friday at Mt. Tahoma, 7:45pm tipoff. South Kitsap will head to Auburn HS to battle Kentlake in a loser out game, also with a 7:45pm tip.

The Final Score
Puyallup 59, South Kitsap 55.

Top Performers:

Puyallup
Tony Gutierrez 23
Jaden Vollmen 9
Deven Neff 9

South Kitsap
Daniel Tomkiewicz 22
Eric Wattree 16
Isaiah Lewis 8

Puyallup Secures 2nd Place in SPSL-South Over Jags


Puyallup Runs Past Rams on Rivalry Night
By Nic Beckman

Tuesday- February 2nd 2016 Boys 4A SPSL-South
Spanaway Lake High School 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Emerald Ridge 10 12 11 11 44
Puyallup 10 10 16 20 56

Emerald Ridge and Puyallup played at Spanaway Lake on Tuesday night to determine the number 2 and 3 seeds for the SPSL South. One week ago these two teams played to a one point, 55-54 overtime win for the Jaguars at PHS. Puyallup still without second leading scorer Tony Gutierrez suffering from a quadriceps contusion, has had to adjust their play down the stretch. The lingering injury and treatment has kept the senior off the court for nearly a month to end the regular season. Gutierrez hopes to be back for playoff action on Thursday night. The Vikings have relied on a number of other players to step up to fill the void. Emerald Ridge coach Pat Mullen and Viking coach Scott Campbell had their teams ready to play and the first quarter was indicative of these teams familiarity with each other. The Jags Daniel Gregory and Viking Deven Neff each with a pair of 3’s had their teams tied at 10 after the first quarter. The second period had the Jaguars hitting four from beyond the arc two from Donald Bango while Puyallup made 4 of 5 free throws and converted in the paint to keep it close. At the half Emerald Ridge held a 2 point lead 22-20. Vikings Deven Neff would lead all scorers with 8 at the half and Daniel Gregory had 7 for the Jags.

The opening of the second half saw the Vikings start with 3 turnovers and ER’s Chase McGuire with back to back buckets gave the Jags their largest lead at 26-20 with 6:37 left in the quarter. Coach Campbell called time out to settle his team. The Vikings responded as Jaden Vollmen and Brennan Winter with a pair of baskets followed by a Deven Neff 3, put the Viks up 27-26. Andrew Boston put the Jaguars back on top with a bucket inside. Jaden Vollmen with a dime to Brooks Ballmer under the hoop followed it up with two hard drives to the rim and Puyallup was up 33-30. ER had problems from the free throw going 1-5 in the third. Chase McGuire would add another field goal for all 6 of his points on the night, but Puyallup’s leading scorer Deven Neff with a pair of 3’s and strong move in the lane, would get 8 of his game high 17 and the Vikings out scored ER 16-11 in the period to take the lead at 36-33 heading into the fourth.

Fouls mounted for PHS and Emerald Ridge got to the line early in the fourth, where they collected 5 of 9 for half of their quarter total. On the other end, Puyallup gained momentum from sophomore Landen Neff, who converted at the rim twice and Brennan Winter stepped up and knocked down a 3 and the Vikings built a 9 point lead at 45-36. Winter who did a great job rebounding also put in 13 points for his team helping to fill the Gutierrez void. Jaden Vollmen continued to push the pace for the Vikings keeping the pressure on Emerald Ridge. Vollmen would tally 14 for Puyallup. Jags senior Raeshon Scales with a pair of 3’s in the first half tried to keep his team in it with two jumpers just inside the arc, would finish with a team high 10 points. A Tyler Torgerson 3 put the Viks on top 50-39 giving them their largest lead of the night at 2:50 left in regulation. The lead forced the Jags to foul PHS with the clock winding under 2 minutes, but with only 3 fouls in the half cost Emerald Ridge nearly 30 seconds as ER tried to get the Vikings into the bonus. Puyallup would hit 6 of 8 from the line to close out the game. Puyallup’s top 3 scorers would equal the total ER output as Brennan Winter with a season high 13, Jaden Vollmen’s 14, combined with Deven Neff’s 17 would secure the #2 seed from the SPSL South. The Final Score Vikings 56 Jaguars 44.

Emerald Ridge will face the winner of Kent Meridian vs Rogers on Saturday at 6pm as the #3 seed to gain either the 7th or 9th seed from the SPSL heading into West Central District III play. #2 seed Puyallup will see Kentridge at the ShoWare on Thursday, the winner getting the SPSL #4 seed, the loser will play Jefferson on Saturday for either the SPSL #5 or #6 seed.

The Final Score
Puyallup 72, Rogers-Puyallup 57.

Top Performers:
Puyallup
Deven Neff- 17 points
Jaden Vollmen- 14 points
Brennan Winter- 13 points

Emerald Ridge
Raeshon Scales- 10 points
Daniel Gregory- 8 points
Donald Bango- 7 points

Emerald Ridge Escapes Overtime Thriller With Viks


Emerald Ridge Escapes Overtime Thriller With Viks
By Nic Beckman

Tuesday- January 19th 2016 Boys 4A SPSL
Puyallup High School 1st 2nd 3rd 4th OT Final
Puyallup 10 12 12 16 4 54
Emerald Ridge 16 13 11 10 5 55

As the regular season winds down, the games gain significance for teams at the top of their divisions and Tuesday night was one of those nights. Curtis has clinched the SPSL South top spot at 11-0 with one game remaining, but the number 2 through 4 positions are going to be decided between Emerald Ridge, Puyallup and Spanaway Lake. Spanaway Lake was at Rogers and the Jaguars came down from South Hill to take on the Vikings looking to avenge the 48-43 loss PHS gave them at the jungle in the first game of the new year on January 5th.

The Paul B. Hanawalt Pavilion was rocking Tuesday night , it was senior night for the Viks and Emerlad Ridge was in the house. ER coach Pat Mullen had is Jaguars ready to play, the junior dominant team handled the Viking pressure early. The Jags Jason Cassens and Tevin McClain combined for the first 10 ER points and got up 10-4. Cassens would finish with 11 points, McClain with 8. Puyallup, again playing without their second leading scorer, Tony Gutierrez still hobbled by a quadriceps contusion and sophomore starter Jacob Holcomb, looked to find scoring elsewhere. The first quarter would end 16-10. In the second quarter, Viking leading scorer senior Deven Neff got going with a pair of 3’s and a couple of buckets in the lane for 10 of Puyallup’s 12 in the period and the Jags held pace with 13 of their own to head to the locker room up 29-22 at the half. Deven Neff with 11 in the half would lead all scorers and come out in the third quarter to repeat his performance of the second, getting two more 3’s enroute to 10 of the Viks 12 in the first 8 minutes of the second half. Puyallup would cut the lead to one at 33-32 with 3:19 remaining in the third, but Emerald Ridge would keep their poise and push the lead back to 6, leading 40-34 heading into the final period. Puyallup tried to stay within striking range as Jags Daniel Gregory fouled on a jumper hit the and one to put the score at 44-38 with 5:10 on the clock. But the Vikings kept coming, Brooks Balmer with a bucket and the ER lead was 44-40 with 4 minutes left. Balmer would go 4-4 from the line and finish with 8. The Viks would also get help from junior Myles Smith who hit two 3’s coming off the bench, the second at 1:46 to again cut the Jaguar lead to just one at 49-48. Andrew Boston at the line for ER with under a minute hit 1of 2 to set the score at 50-48 with less than 30 seconds remaining in regulation. A baseline drive with the clock winding down by senior Tyler Torgerson who went up and under for a reverse off the glass as the buzzer sounded fell in and the crowd went wild. This game was tied at 50 and was headed to overtime.

Sophomore Landen Neff gave Puyallup their first lead at 51-50 at 3:46 of the OT period. Points always a premium became even harder in the overtime as both teams battled for the lead. Daniel Gregory hit a runner in the lane to get the lead back for Emerald Ridge and would finish with a team high 15 points and the Jags looked to have the game in hand as they would get 8 free throws in the extra time but could only convert 3 of them. Leaving the door open for PHS. Puyallup couldn’t find their range from beyond the arc, but we’re able to corral offensive rebounds the most critical by Jaden Vollmen who fell to his back on a play at the rim, but as the ball was tipped around dropped in his hands while he was on the floor and he was able to loft it out to a team mate and Vikings coach Scott Campbell called time out with just 6 ticks remaining on the clock, down 55-54. Before the inbound coach Mullen called another time out to set his defense. On the ensuing inbounds the Vikings were forced to throw the ball into back court to get it in the hands of Jaden Vollmen. With seconds ticking off, Vollmen was able to get into range and launched a high arcing 3 for the game winner, it hit the rim and before Deven Neff could put it back, time expired and the Jaguars had the OT win 55-54. Neff would lead all scorers with 22 points, Vollmen would finish with 11. The win by ER puts them at 8-3 in control of the number 2 spot, for now. The Jags will be facing 11-0 Curtis at home in the jungle on Friday night, while Puyallup 7-4 heads up to a 4-6 Rogers team, who beat Spanaway Lake 61-55 Tuesday night. Putting the Sentinels at 7-5 on the outside looking in and setting up a must win rivalry game for the Vikings against the Rams on Friday. The close of the regular season in the SPSL South still with questions to be answered is going down to the wire.

The Final Score
Emerald Ridge 55, Puyallup 54.

Top Performers:
Emerald Ridge
Daniel Gregory- 15 points
Jason Cassens- 11 points
Tevin McClain- 8 points

Puyallup
Deven Neff- 22 points
Jaden Vollmen- 11 points
Brooks Balmer- 8 points

Puyallup Survives Defensive Battle With Braves


Puyallup Survives Defensive Battle With Braves
By Nic Beckman

Tuesday- January 19th 2016 Boys 4A SPSL
Puyallup High School 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Bethel 6 13 10 3 32
Puyallup 16 10 11 8 45

The Puyallup Vikings coming off an 84-80 loss to division leader Curtis were back at home Tuesday night to host the Bethel Braves. Dakaline White, 6’1” senior for Bethel got the opening two buckets as the Braves got up 4-2, that would prove to be their last lead. The short handed Viks squad looked for scoring as their second leading scorer, Tony Gutierrez was unable to play due to injury. They had seven players score in the first quarter and finished the first up ten, 16-6.

PHS up 20-6 and in the bonus at 6:41 of the second had the game looking to get out of hand. But the Braves weren’t going easy, as Jon Taimanglo and Matt Anderson both hit 3’s and Brian Shaffer added 5 in the quarter going on an 8-1 run to pull back within 7 at 21-14. Viking leading scorer senior Deven Neff, in early foul trouble went 3-4 from the line was held to just 3 points at the half, while sophomore brother, Landen Neff led the team with 8 points, 4-6 from the line as the team collected 11-16 free throws in the first half. Puyallup up 26-19 at the break.

Brian Shaffer had 7 points for the Braves but also picked up 3 personal fouls would pick up his 4th at 6:11 of the third and finish with 7. On the Viking side, Deven Neff earned his 3rd personal foul just 23 seconds into the quarter and before Coach Campbell could get a sub in, Neff was called for his 4th at 6:21 of the 3rd. He would end up with 3-4 from the line in the 4th matching his first half for 6 points from the stripe and 0 field goals never getting into the flow due to foul trouble. Leo Muchiri, 6’0” senior guard for Bethel found his range in the 3rd getting two from beyond the arc and a midrange for all 8 of his points. The Braves would get just 10, as White would add 2. Jaden Vollmen, 6’1” senior for the Viks answered with two 3’s of his own and 3-4 from the line for 9 of the Vikings 11 points, helping his team to a 37-29 lead after the 3rd.

The Vikings defense was able to hold Bethel to only three 4th quarter points. The Braves without a field goal until Dakaline White’s bucket under 1:00 left. Puyallup found themselves at the line 7 times in the quarter going 4-12 along with field goals from Brooks Balmer and Landen Neff totaling 8 to get the win. Free throws would be the difference on a night when scoring was at a premium, Puyallup with a 16 point advantage from the line would win!

The Final Score
Puyallup 45, Bethel 32.

Top Performers:
Puyallup
Jaden Vollmen- 16 points
Landen Neff- 10

Bethel
Dakaline White- 8 points
Leo Muchiri- 8 points

Audio Recap: Puyallup vs. Bethel

Game Recap
Puyallup vs. Bethel 1-19-16

Tuesday night in the South Puget Sound League offered a defensive battle between the Puyallup Vikings and Bethel Braves. Listen as Nic Beckman provides an audio recap of the game!

To listen to the game recap, simply click on the PLAY BUTTON below.

 


Gutierrez Nets 25 in Puyallup Victory Against Plainsmen


Gutierrez Nets 25 in Puyallup Victory Against Plainsmen
By Nic Beckman

Wednesday- January 13th 2016 Boys 4A SPSL/GSHL
Puyallup High School 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Evergreen-Vancouver 11 18 18 18 65
Puyallup 21 14 20 26 81

The Vikings of Puyallup had a non conference game Wednesday night against the Evergreen Plainsmen. The game rescheduled from the original December 10th date due to flooding in the Vancouver area not allowing the team to make the trek north. The black and green clad Plainsmen, behind the leadership of senior guard Tyrus Hosley made the Vikings work for their points early. The first quarter would end 21-11 as PHS leading scorer Deven Neff got 9.

Evergreen kept up the pressure and hitting 3 three’s two by Payton Monda and 7 of 8 from the line to out score Puyallup 18-14. Going into half the VIKS held a 6 point lead 35-29, Hosley leading the Plainsmen with 10 and Neff for the Vikings with 13, Tony Gutierrez also had 10 at the break.

Evergreen would continue to stay within striking range hitting 8 of 10 free throws in the third Hosley 5-6 and Greg Washington continuing his precision shooting from the line after 5-6 in the first half hitting 3-4 more in the quarter. Puyallup would answer with Tony Gutierrez hitting another pair of 3’s and a lay-in getting 8 points in the third and the Vikings would increase their lead 55-47 after 3.

This non conference match up got a little tense in the 4th quarter the Vikings opening on a 6-0 run, 4 technical fouls were assessed on a rebound play that ended with a held ball and some extra curricular pushing with 7:02 remaining and the score 61-47. Two T’s on each team, no free throws for either and neither team willing to back down. Tyrus Hosley and Greg Washington each getting 7 points in the final period, Hosely would finish with 25 and Washington with 17. The Vikings relentless defense created opportunities as they put up 20 more points on the Plainsmen, Brooks Balmer getting the last 7 points to put the Vikings over 80 points and getting free wings for everyone in the gym from the Sparks Firehouse Deli 80 point wing promotion. Tony Gutierrez lead the Viks with 25, Deven Neff had 16 and Balmer 12

The Final Score
Puyallup 81, Evergreen-Vancouver 65.

Top Performers:
Puyallup
Tony Gutierrez- 25 points
Deven Neff- 16 points
Brooks Balmer- 12 points

Evergreen-Vancouver
Tyrus Hosley 25 points (7-8 FT’s)
Greg Washington 17 points (9-13 FT’s)
Payton Monda 13 points

Audio Recap: Spanaway Lake vs. Puyallup

Game Recap
Spanaway Lake vs. Puyallup 1-9-16

Spanaway Lake visited the Puyallup Vikings on Saturday night in the valley with the Sentinels focused on avenging their loss to the Viks earlier in the season. Listen as Nic Beckman provides an audio recap of the SPSL showdown including in-game sound!

To listen to the game recap, simply click on the PLAY BUTTON below.

 


Spanaway Lake Avenges December Loss to Puyallup with Saturday Win


Spanaway Lake Avenges December Loss to Puyallup with Saturday Win
By Nic Beckman

Saturday- January 9th 2016 Boys 4A SPSL-South
Puyallup High School 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Puyallup 20 12 15 15 62
Spanaway Lake 13 12 23 19 67

Saturday night basketball at PHS brought the Sentinels of Spanaway Lake into the valley both teams coming off wins over the Rogers Rams, the difference was the rest and free throws. The Vikings got out to a quick lead hitting 4 3’s in the opening period after their win on Thursday, tallying 20. The Sentinels, on the other hand, seemed to need a little warm up after four days off as they went 4-8 from the line missing two front ends of one and ones as they got into the bonus with more than a minute left in the first to end with 13. The Vikings would maintain their 7 point lead through the 2nd quarter, but fouls added up to help keep Spanaway Lake close. Going 9-17 from the free throw line in the first half, the Sentinels kept pace matching the Vikings 12 2nd quarter points, at halftime Puyallup up 32-25 but four players with 2 fouls each and one with 3 personal fouls would limit the trapping pressure the Vikings normally applied as the third quarter unfolded.

Spanaway Lake’s 6’3” sophomore wing Isaiah Turner hit a pair of 3’s to contribute 10 points to his teams 23 point 3rd quarter nearly matching their first half total. The Vikings leading scorer Deven Neff who had 14 at the break added 8 more in the third and would end with a game high 26, but the 23-15 difference in the period had Spanaway Lake holding a one point lead going into the final quarter 48-47. Momentum stayed with the Sentinels as the foul problems for Puyallup inhibited their normal frenetic pace. SLHS seniors Jeremiah Williams with 12 2nd half points and Spencer Lemisio’s 10 added with 17 from Turner combined for 39 of the team total 42 points in the 3rd and 4th quarters. The Sentinels went 16-28 for the line as compared to the Vikings not getting to the bonus in either half and only getting 9 attempts from the stripe for the entire game, hitting only 4.

In typical Coach Scott Campbell PHS fashion the Vikings did hit 12 three’s on the night, Tony Gutierrez and Deven Neff each with 5 three’s, Gutierrez would finish with 16 as the only other Viking in double digits. The Sentinels lead by the 22 of Isaiah Turner would end with four players in double digits, Jeremiah Williams 15, Divante Moffitt 14 and Spencer Lemisio’s 12 as Spanaway Lake would out last the Vikings 67-62 giving Puyallup only their second loss on the season and avenging the December 8th loss to PHS at Spanaway Lake 74-60.

The Final Score
Spanaway Lake 67, Puyallup 62.

Top Performers:
Spanaway Lake
Isaiah Turner- 22 points
Jeremiah Williams- 15 points

Puyallup
Deven Neff- 26 points

Audio Recap: Puyallup vs. Rogers-Puyallup

Game Recap
Puyallup vs. Rogers-Puyallup 1-7-16

Thursday night featured an SPSL-South rivalry game between the Puyallup Vikings and Rogers-Puyallup Rams. Listen as Nic Beckman provides an audio recap of the contest including in-game sound!

To listen to the game recap, simply click on the PLAY BUTTON below.

 


Puyallup Uses Depth to Tame Tornados


Puyallup Uses Depth to Tame Tornados
By Steve Dion

Saturday- December 19th 2015 Boys 4A SPSL/Narrows
Showare Center 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Yelm 5 8 15 26 54
Puyallup 21 19 17 20 77


Puyallup sophomore Landen Neff

All eleven Puyallup Vikings scored in their Showare Shootout victory over Yelm. Deven Neff led the Viks with 15 points in addition to 5 rebounds. By the time Yelm scored their first points in the contest with 1:38 remaining in the first quarter, they were facing a 16 point deficit. The Tornados had difficulty contending with the full court press of the opposition and ended up turning the ball over 20 times in the ball game. Leading 40-13 at halftime, could the Viks retain their big lead?

Christian Davis took the lead for Yelm in the second half as the senior guard scored the bulk of his 30 points in the final two quarters including 17/22 from the free throw line. He also recorded 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals, and 4 blocks. However, this wasn’t enough to cut into Puyallup’s advantage as Jacob Holcomb and Tony Gutierrez joined Neff as double digit scorers. A 21-3 Viking run and decisive rebounding advantage allowed the SPSL representative to go wire-to-wire in this game and get back into the win column after a close loss to Curtis earlier in the week.

The Final Score
Puyallup 77, Yelm 54

Top Performers:
Puyallup
Deven Neff- 15 points, 5 rebounds

Yelm
Christian Davis- 30 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals, 4 blocks