Olympia Remains Undefeated With Road Win Over Stadium


Olympia Remains Undefeated With Road Win Over Stadium
By Steve Dion

Friday- December 18th 2015 Boys 4A Narrows
Stadium High School 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Stadium 6 9 14 18 47
Olympia 25 21 6 18 70


Olympia senior Liam Murphy

After four games of the 2015-16 season, the Olympia Bears have equaled their win total from a year ago. On Friday night, the Coach John Kiley led squad from Washington’s capital travelled north to take on the Tigers from the scenic campus of Stadium High School. Olympia jumped out to a lightning quick start as Hunter Sipe recorded a lay-up four seconds into the game. This was the catalyst for a 16-1 run to start the game. When the Tigers knocked down their first field goal, they were facing a sizable deficit. Oly was also strong on the defensive end of the floor in which they drew three first-half charges and built a large rebounding advantage which finished 37-18. In his postgame remarks Kiley stated, “I felt it was one of our best halves of basketball.” Could the Bears stave off the Tigers in the final two quarters with a big lead?

Stadium emerged from the locker room with a renewed sense of energy by gradually cutting into the deficit. The increased defensive intensity including blocks by Jaz Howard and steals by Dieauka Bradley set up transition buckets on the other end. Kiley said, “To Stadium’s credit, they were out-working us in the second half.” However, the Bears righted the ship in the final quarter and both teams scored 18 apiece in the fourth and the coaching staff was pleased with their ability to close out. In regards to the 4-0 start, Kiley praised his seniors by replying, “Eddie Beusch and Liam Murphy put so much time in this fall as leaders in the weight room…they really want to see a great basketball season and a legacy develop for them.” The Bears will get that opportunity when they take off to Florida for a holiday tournament soon.

The Final Score
Olympia 70, Stadium 47

Top Performers:
Olympia
Zaiden Hernandez- 16 points, 7 rebounds

Stadium
Jaz Howard