CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly named an injured player for Aberdeen. Trey Anderson left the game due t a knee injury.
The Aberdeen defensive strategy entering Monday’s Myrtle Street Rivalry game again Hoquiam was a sound one: Don’t let Grizzlies leading scorers Michael Lorton Watkins and Justice Stankavich beat us.
Unfortunately for the Bobcats, the rest of the Hoquiam sloth got in the act as the Grizzlies ransacked Aberdeen 66-47 at Sam Benn Gym in Aberdeen.
Early on, the Bobcats defense threw double-teams at Lorton Watkins and Stankavich, but the two Grizzlies standouts trusted their teammates, often distributing the ball to open teammates.
The main beneficiaries of the unselfish play turned out to be junior guard Zander Jump and senior forward Owen McNeill, who led the Grizzlies with 24 and 15 points, respectively.
Plenty of their teammates joined in as nine Grizzlies scored in the game.
PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Hoquiam senior Owen McNeill (5) scores on a jump shot while being defended by Aberdeen’s Kenny Dawson (32) during the Grizzlies’ 66-47 win on Monday at Sam Benn Gym in Aberdeen.
“We know we’re going to see that coverage. Michael and Justice know they are going to be keyed on,” Hoquiam head coach Jeff Niemi said. “We just have to prove we are a real team and that we have other guys that can play. We’re kind of learning where we can have guys step up and help take a scoring load off and we found some guys to do that tonight.”
Aberdeen (1-4 overall) tied the game at 9-all on a 3-pointer from junior Baylor Ainsworth with just over three minutes to go in the first quarter.
Hoquiam (3-1) then embarked on the first of two key first-half runs that would eventually put the game out of the Cats’ reach, scoring seven straight points — the last five by Jump — to take a 16-9 lead at the end of one period.
The Grizzlies took control of the game over the first five minutes of the second quarter, stretching its lead to 18 points with a 13-2 run that was sparked by an aggressive and energetic defense that forced turnovers and led to easy buckets.
Jump scored nine points during the run with McNeill scoring four, capping the streak with a cut-and-layup off a nice feed from freshman Joey Bozich to give Hoquiam a commanding 29-11 lead with 2:52 left in the first half.
“I think that when one guy is hot, the whole team gets hot. Our whole team feeds off energy, big time,” said Jump, alluding to the playoff-like atmosphere with a raucous crowd at Sam Benn Gym. “With our student section and the crowd going wild, one guy makes a three, then another makes a three.”
As if things weren’t going bad enough for Aberdeen, the Bobcats lost two players to injuries just minutes apart in the second quarter.
Starting junior guard Manny Garcia left with a bruised tailbone after a falling hard to the floor on a drive to the basket.
A short few minutes later, starting senior guard Trey Anderson left with a knee injury.
Neither player returned to the game.
RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Aberdeen’s Baylor Ainsworth (23) looks to pass while Hoquiam’s Zander Jump (11) and Joey Bozich defend during the Grizzlies’ 66-47 win on Monday at Sam Benn Gym in Aberdeen.
Leading 36-18 at halftime, the up-tempo Grizzlies continued to push the pace in the third quarter, and a depleted Aberdeen squad had no answers.
Hoquiam took a 21-point lead after a Stankavich bucket in the paint followed by a Jump free throw for a 42-21 lead.
A few minutes later, Stankavich scored on a sweeping, scoop layup for a 51-27 lead with 2:15 on the clock.
Hoquiam would hold its largest lead of the game at 62-34 after Bozich opened the fourth quarter with a three at the 6:50 mark.
Both teams played much of the final frame with their starters on the bench as Hoquiam claimed its third-straight victory over its Myrtle Street rivals.
Lorton Watkins added nine points with Stankavich scoring seven for Hoquiam.
Aberdeen was led by freshman guard Isaac Garcia, who had 15 points on 6-of-15 (40%) shooting to go along with two steals.
Ainsworth had 14 for the Bobcats with junior Patrick Walsh leading Aberdeen with 13 rebounds.
Hoquiam’s defense held Aberdeen to 18-of-56 (32%) shooting from the floor, including 5-of-18 (28%) from the 3-point line.
Aberdeen turned the ball over 27 times in the contest.
RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Aberdeen guard Issac Garcia (15) drives while shadowed by Hoquiam’s Michael Lorton Watkins during the Grizzlies’ 66-47 win on Monday at Sam Benn Gym in Aberdeen.
Niemi said the way his team executed its trapping and pressing defense,s and the ability to transition into its half-court defense, were keys to the victory.
“I thought we kind of really started to get into position to get to spots, to beat them to spots and to trap those spots,” he said. “I really liked how if (Aberdeen) did get out of it, we’d hustle to the basket and get a hand on the ball. It was just the guys working as a team and in a system. That’s all we’re preaching to the guys now and I thought they did a really great job and it just kind of snowballed from there. The energy kept happening, (Aberdeen) got a little frantic at times and we just kind of fed off it.”
“The way we always play defense, especially tonight, is that we outwork the other team and match their energy,” said Jump, who scored most of his points off of offensive rebounds while getting to the free-throw line eight times in the game. “We stick with our guys, we press them full court and make them make mistakes. I think that is what we do best. Deflecting passes, getting on the ground and working hard, then running the court.”
The atmosphere inside the near-capacity gym that is only had in a rivalry game this early in the season should be a benefit to both teams down the road.
“Games like these, with the loud and intense environments, it gets you used to playing in those big games,” Niemi said. “It’s a great opportunity to get ready for a big district game with a packed house. I thought that was a good thing for us to have some practice with that.”
“Our coach said before, ‘Treat it like a playoff game,’” Jump said. “We knew Aberdeen was going to come out here and be better than we have seen them this season because it’s a rivalry game. Everyone is going to step up and play their hardest. But when push came to shove, we just outworked them and were just more physical.”
Hoquiam hosts Taholah at 7 p.m. on Thursday.
Aberdeen will take on Tumwater at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Aberdeen.
Hoquiam 16 20 23 7 — 66
Aberdeen 9 9 16 13 — 47
Scoring: H — Jump 24, McNeill 15, Lorton Watkins 9, Stankavich 7, J. Bozich 3, Atwell 2, Templer 2, Monroe 2, Gordon 2. A — I. Garcia 15, Ainsworth 14, Miller 5, M. Garcia 4, Dawson 4, Brooks 2, Walsh 2, Ambrogiani 1.
