High school basketball: Results from South Sound programs in the regional round

TUESDAY (FEB. 21)

BOYS BASKETBALL

3A

NO. 14 NORTH THURSTON 68, NO. 19 EVERETT 46

The Rams are partying in North Thurston, regional ticket in hand.

Ray Adams posted a 25-25 double-double and the Rams blew past Everett in a regional play-in on Tuesday night. North Thurston’s home win ended Everett’s season and pushed the Rams into this weekend’s regional round — or, the ‘Sweet 16.’

“They’re still celebrating right now,” Rams coach Mike Conner said, nearly a half-hour after the final buzzer. “They’re still going strong in there.

“A fun moment for our guys. And to be able to do it on our own floor, it was extra special.”

Adams’ 25 rebounds broke North Thurston’s single-game state record. It is believed by Conner to be an all-time single-game school record. His 25 points led all scorers, and both statistics notched career-highs for the senior guard.

A rotation of fresh legs proved vital in the second quarter, when North Thurston exploded for 27 points and cruised to a commanding halftime lead. Everett failed to revert its deficit to within double-digits.

“Our biggest strength all year has been our depth,” Conner said. “As (Everett) had to go to their bench, we were able to separate, because we were staying strong with fresh legs and able to keep the pressure on them.”

Adams tallied four blocks, plus his 25-25 double-double. Senior forward Thad TenKley added 15 points.

Sophomore guard Micah Anderson logged 10 points and three assists.

North Thurston meets West Seattle at Bellevue College on Saturday in the regional round. The winner books a ticket to the Tacoma Dome for the Round of 12.

“Our guys are just excited to go make some noise in the state tournament,” Conner said. “They’ve worked hard. ... We went 5-12 (last season) and they took it upon themselves to dig in and put in the work that was needed. And you’re seeing the results.”

NO. 15 AUBURN MOUNTAINVIEW 67, NO. 18 MOUNTAIN VIEW 57

Auburn Mountainview’s season remains alive — and the Lions are dancing to the ‘Sweet 16.’

Senior guard Jamaal Elliott posted a team-best 22 points and pushed the home Lions to victory over Mountain View on Tuesday.

Auburn Mountainview’s early double-digit lead dissipated as the second half waned, resulting in a locked scoreboard midway through the fourth quarter. But the Lions would run off again — this time on a 6-0 run — to cement a victory in Tuesday’s loser-out contest.

Elliott added three steals and two blocks, first reported by Benjamin Ray of the Federal Way Mirror.

Auburn Mountainview wing Mande Wanlemvo dropped 17 points. Senior wing Gamard Arius and senior guard Anthony Barzul posted 14 points apiece.

Mountain View’s season ends at 15-11, featuring a second-place finish in the 3A Greater St. Helens League. The Thunder took seventh in last week’s District 3/4 bracket, securing the last available regional allocation.

Auburn Mountainview advances to a regional meeting at Bellevue on Saturday with a trip to the Tacoma Dome on the line.

NO. 16 SHORECREST 48, NO. 17 STADIUM 45

Stadium’s late rally fell short and Shorecrest advanced to the WIAA’s regional round this weekend.

Scots forward Parker Baumann paced all scorers with 21 and snagged the game-sealing rebound in the final seconds, per the Everett Herald.

Stadium senior Ne’Quan Brown posted a double-double featuring 15 points and 13 rebounds.

Shorecrest meets Gig Harbor in Saturday’s regional round at Tacoma Community College. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. and the winner punches a ticket to the Tacoma Dome.

1B

NO. 15 POMEROY 69, NO. 18 MUCKLESHOOT TRIBAL 62

Down by as much as 20 points, the Kings took a timeout late in the third quarter to gather themselves and figure out what kind of on-the-fly adjustments they could make against the Pirates.

After making their adjustments, Muckleshoot Tribal opened the fourth quarter on a 12-2 run to cut the score to 55-48. However, Pomeroy held onto their lead through the rest of the quarter and game.

Despite getting as close as five points, the Kings had to resort to fouling the Pirates late. With each made shot, that solidified Pomeroy’s chances at winning the game.

Muckleshoot’s season comes to an end with a final record of 14-11.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

3A

NO. 15 AUBURN MOUNTAINVIEW 40, NO. 18 GIG HARBOR 28

The Lions had the tall task of shutting down two of the 3A South Sound Conference’s best players. And they were able to do just that in holding the Tides to just 28 points in their contest.

Gig Harbor’s junior Taylor Schwab and senior Riley Peschek were held completely in check defensively by Auburn Mountainview. All in part thanks to efforts by senior Maliyah Elliott and junior Neviah Johnson.

“Our identity has been our defense. Sometimes, we aren’t the best on offense but our defense doesn’t change,” said coach Cate Doherty. “We knew we were gonna win on the defensive end. We made sure our kids helped each other and double teamed [Peschek]. She’s dominant in the post, and we honed in [Schwab] as well.”

When on defense, Johnson is typically utilized by Doherty to play against the opposing team’s best player. Naturally, Johnson and Peschek got to know each other fairly well in the game as they battled in the post for most of it.

The Lions’ defensive efforts paid off though. The Tides were unable to score more than nine points in a single quarter while Auburn Mountainview put up as much as 17 in the second period.

Elliott led her team in scoring, grabbing a double-double with 16 points, 11 rebounds, and even getting seven steals in the process. Johnson netted five points, and grabbed eight rebounds as well.

Freshman Iliayah Wallis-Caw also had some time in the paint against Peschek where she came away with eight points and 13 rebounds of her own.

With the loss, Gig Harbor’s season ends at 14-9. On the flip side, Auburn Mountainview punches their ticket to the big dance and will enter the 3A state tournament.

Although the Lions prefer not to look ahead at their next opponent, they advance to play against another 3A SSC member. This time in the form of North Thurston.

NO. 14 WEST SEATTLE 48, NO. 19 CENTRAL KITSAP 37

The Wildcats proved themselves to be the superior jungle cats as they trounced the Cougars and ended their season in the process.

Central Kitsap held a slim 11-9 lead after the first quarter, but West Seattle would then outscore them 21-10 in the second quarter. That took it to 30-19 at the half in favor of the Wildcats and they never looked back.

For the Cougars, their season ends at a 12-11 season record. The Wildcats will advance to take on No. 11 Lynwood in the state tournament.