CORRECTION: A previous version of this article contained incorrect information. Peyton Damasiewicz’s recruiting trip was to the University of Puget Sound.
Montesano’s defense locked in over the final three quarters of the game en route to a 52-38 win over Aberdeen on Saturday at Aberdeen High School.
The Bobcats (5-9 overall) jumped out to a 12-0 lead to start the game and led 19-8 after one quarter as senior shooting guard Manny Garcia went off for 12 points in the first period.
RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Aberdeen’s Manny Garcia (12) looks to pass against Montesano’s Peyton Damasiewicz during the Bobcats’ 52-38 loss on Saturday in Aberdeen.
But Monte (10-4) rallied in the second quarter behind a defense that held the Bobcats to two field goals in the frame to outscore Aberdeen 16-5, tying the game 24-24 at the half.
The Cats took a 29-26 lead early in the third quarter on a layup from senior forward Baylor Ainsworth.
That turned out to be the last lead Aberdeen would hold as a three from junior guard Delon Chan sparked a 12-3 Monte run that culminated with a scoop-shot bucket from senior reserve forward Peyton Damasiewicz at the buzzer, giving the Bulldogs a 40-32 lead heading into the final quarter.
Damasiewicz – who had just returned from a football recruiting trip to the University of South Puget Sound that morning – opened the fourth quarter with an and-1 offensive rebound putback and foul shot followed by a baseline drive for two as the Bulldogs went up 45-32.
After Garcia temporarily stopped the bleeding with a three, Chan scored on a pull-up jumper followed by a steal and layup to stake Monte to a 46-35 lead with 5:30 left to play.
Another Garcia three with 4:09 left were the last points Aberdeen would score as Monte’s defense held the Bobcats to 14 points in the second half to secure the win.
Chan led Monte with 14 points with Damasiewicz (11 points) and senior forward Gabe Bodwell (10 pts.) also scoring in double digits for a Bulldogs team that went 22 for 62 from the floor (35%).
RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Montesano’s Peyton Damasiewicz (22) is congratulated by his teammates after scoring 11 points and sparking a Bulldogs second-half run in a 52-38 win over Aberdeen on Saturday in Aberdeen.
“Peyton Damasiewicz stepped up in a huge way,” Monte head coach Leonard Barnes said. “He found rebounds on the defensive end. On the offensive end, he attacked the glass and got some putbacks. His effort there in a bout a 10-minute stretch was second to none. He did phenomenal. … He had the game of his life.”
“The mindset was to be aggressive, get in there and do the dirty work I needed to do and everything else will come,” Damasiewicz said of his performance off the bench. “The main thing I focused on was rebounding. Rebounding will give you opportunities to score and to set your teammates up. I think it’s the most important thing. It ends possessions and it keeps possessions alive.”
RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Montesano’s Delon Chan (21) rises up for a jump shot while defended by Aberdeen’s Xanto Raya (20) during the Bulldogs’ 52-38 win on Saturday at Aberdeen High School.
Garcia led all scorers with 24 points, including 6-of-13 shooting from 3-point range (46%).
After a red-hot first quarter, Aberdeen cooled off to shoot 15 of 61 for the game (25%), going 8 of 33 from beyond the arc as a team (24%).
Aberdeen outrebounded Monte 42-37, led by Isaac Garcia and Charlie Ancich with 10 and nine boards, respectively.
Monte had six blocks – three from center Soren Cobb – and 13 steals as a team.
“I thought our press really hurt them and it slowed them down. They got tentative,” Barnes said of his team’s defense. “I thought we settled in and started to take control of it.”
Aberdeen hosts Rochester and Montesano plays at Rochester when the two Twin Harbors teams resume respective league play at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.
Montesano 8 16 16 12 – 52
Aberdeen 19 5 8 6 – 38
Scoring: Montesano – Chan 14, Damasiewicz 11, Peterson 10, Bodwell 6, Cobb 4, Taylor 4, Wilson 2, Lovell 1. Aberdeen – M. Garcia 24, Ainsworth 7, Quezada 3, Brooks 2.
