Another strong Aberdeen challenge to one of the Evergreen 2A Conference’s boys basketball elite again went for naught on Tuesday.
League co-leader Chehalis scored nine of the game’s final 13 points to deny Aberdeen’s upset bid, 59-54, at Sam Benn Gym.
The Bobcats came close to putting an entire game together against a Chehalis club that is now 3-0 in league play and 10-2 overall.
They received a 28-point performance from junior guard Ben Dublanko, who was able to drive almost at will in the first three quarters.
An active Bobcat zone defense gave Chehalis problems and, after an unpromising beginning, they held their own against the much taller Bearcats on the glass. The Bobcats even conquered their third-quarter jinx, outscoring the visitors 19-17 in that period.
But they couldn’t afford 21 turnovers. And their perimeter shooting went south once Chehalis switched from a man-to-man to a zone late in the third quarter. The well-balanced Bearcats, meanwhile, attacked the basket successfully in the late going.
It all added up to a another frustrating defeat for the Bobcats (0-3, 2-10)
“We’ve just got to figure out a way to win,” AHS coach Mark Buckman lamented.
The fast-paced contest contained six ties and 14 lead changes.
Aberdeen was on top 42-39 when Javier Bojorge scored the opening basket of the fourth quarter, but Chehalis’ Brandon White and Bailey Cooper combined for the next five points.
The Bearcats never again trailed, but Aberdeen tied it on three occasions — the last at 50-all when Dublanko netted a pair of free throws with 2:11 on the clock.
Jordan Thomas took it to the hoop for a short bank shot at the 1:56 mark and teammate Brandon White converted a layin 22 seconds later. Finally connecting from the foul line (only 5 of 15 from the stripe at one stage, they wound up 15 of 30 for the game), the Bearcats were at least four points to the good the rest of the way.
“Our defensive effort was there (but) the last few possessions of the game, our execution wasn’t what we wanted,” Buckman summarized. “We need to learn how to finish games.”
Playing only the second half after missing a practice due to illness, Bojorge finished with 10 points. Derrell Shale and Jeshua Manwell grabbed eight and seven rebounds, respectively, while Alonzo Coburn came up with four steals for the Bobcats.
Aberdeen junior post Cody Sayres is sidelined for an indefinite period due to health concerns.
The 6-foot-3 Cooper and 6-2 wing Tyler Speck shared Chehalis scoring honors with 13 points apiece. The athletic 6-4 Thomas, who returned to the floor in the second half after being shaken up in a first-half collision, tallied 11 points.
The Bobcats travel to Rochester on Thursday.
Chehalis 16 6 17 20 – 59
Aberdeen 13 8 19 14 — 54
Chehalis (59) — Wollan 2, Thomas 11, Speck 13, B. White 9, Cooper 13, Yarter 3, Dobyns, Baker, C. White 8. FG — 20-51 (.392). FT — 15-30.
Aberdeen (54) — Manwell 6, Dublanko 28, Coburn 2, Shale 6, Timmons, Barragan, Sidor, Bojorge 10, Pisani, Elrod, Tinnell 2. FG — 19-51 (.373). FT — 13-15.
JV — Chehalis 68, Aberdeen 50.
