Even on a sub-par offensive night, the Grays Harbor College women keep on winning.
The Chokers relied on their defense to stretch their winning streak to 19 with a 55-45 win over South Puget Sound in NWAC Western Division women’s basketball action Wednesday night.
The division-leading South Puget Sound men pulled away in the late going to foil Grays Harbor’s upset bid, 66-55, in the second half of the co-ed doubleheader at the GHC gym.
WOMEN
Chokers 55, Clippers 45
For the final three quarters, Grays Harbor (7-0, 19-1) was far from its offensive best Wednesday. Missing several close-in shots, the Chokers shot only 32 percent from the field.
“We had struggles making shots we normally make,” GHC coach Chad Allan said. “You’re going to have games like that. Fortunately, we threw up some defense and we held them while we struggled to score.”
Starting in a zone but switching to a man-to-man in the second half, the Chokers were equally effective with both defenses. They limited the Clippers (2-5, 7-13) to 31 percent shooting while forcing 29 turnovers.
Primarily a second-half team for most of the season, the Chokers reversed the trend in this one. With Nicole Wilson and Alexia Thrower doing most of the damage, they went on 25-2 run beginning midway through the first quarter to grab a 25-6 lead early in the second stanza.
Their attack went flat at that point. Although unable to connect with any regularity from the perimeter (they were 3-of-25 from 3-point range), the Clippers slowly whittled away at the deficit. A rare trey by Mackenzie Bergquist trimmed Grays Harbor’s lead to 47-40 with 7:29 remaining in the contest.
Neither team scored for the next 3 1/2 minutes. Thrower finally turned an offensive rebound into a conventional three-point play with 3:44 on the clock. The high-scoring sophomore from Las Vegas wound up scoring six points in the fourth quarter to keep the Chokers safe.
Although uncharacteristically lukewarm from middle range, Thrower still registered game-high totals of 23 points and 14 rebounds. Wilson and Sandin Kidder added 10 points apiece, with the former drawing praise from Allan for her all-around play.
Haley Harn topped South Puget Sound with 14 points. Raymond alum Mikayla Collins was effective in the paint for the Clippers, scoring 10 of her 12 points in the second half and also pulling down seven rebounds.
MEN
Clippers 66, Chokers 55
Down to eight eligible players, the Chokers (1-6, 3-17) demonstrated exceptional defensive energy throughout. Contesting nearly every shot, they limited South Puget Sound to 28 percent shooting in the first half.
But the high-flying Clippers (7-0, 16-6) played pretty solid defense as well and beat the Chokers badly on the boards. South Puget Sound wound up with a 40-28 rebounding advantage that actually seemed more decisive.
Perhaps frustrated by some recent narrow losses, Grays Harbor coach Kevin Williamson wasn’t inclined to see many positives in the aftermath.
“Defensively, we were locked in,” he said. “Offensively, we were terrible.”
Although never ahead in the final 30 minutes, the Chokers used the long-range shooting of Guy Bean and the inside play of Caleb Thomas to hang tough deep into the second half. They trailed by only two, 47-45, with about six minutes remaining.
After a pair of Nolan Black rebound baskets widened the gap, the Clippers were able to drive to the hole repeatedly in the final five minutes.
Bean nailed six 3-pointers — his entire output for the night — in leading the Chokers with 18 points. A southpaw with a soft shooting touch, the 6-foot-7 Thomas did most of his business inside the key in finishing with 15 points.
Jalen Gibson-Starks dished out six assists for the Chokers.
A.J. Hodges paced South Puget Sound with 17 points.
Both GHC teams will draw the league bye this weekend. The Choker men have a home non-leaguer against Northwest Indian College scheduled for 4 p.m. Friday. The women will be idle until visiting Centralia next Wednesday.
WOMEN
S. Puget 6 11 19 9 — 45
GHC 21 9 14 11 — 55
South Puget Sound (45) — Whitehead 4, Campana 4, Collins 12, Moloney 5, Bergquist 6, Harn 14, Moore. FG — 18-58 (.310). FT — 6-14.
Grays Harbor (55) — Brisbois 4, Wilson 10, Thrower 23, Sikora, Kidder 10, Feaster 4, Bell, Sunchild 4, Hernandez. FG — 22-69 (.319). FT — 11-16.
MEN
South Puget Sound (66) — Dick, Poquette 9, Malloy 13, Reitman 6, Sipe 4, Hodges 17, Moore 2, Reynolds 5, Black 10. FG — 24-60 (.400). FT — 12-18.
Grays Harbor (55) — Gibson-Starks 3, Jackson 6, Holifield 4, Thomas 15, Bean 18, Marrotte 3, Fischer 4. Laing 2. FG — 20-56 (.357). FT — 8-13.
Halftime: South Puget Sound 25, Grays Harbor 22.
