Ocosta beat Hoquiam while Elma won down in Oregon as we review Thursday’s boys prep basketball action on the Harbor.

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BOYS PREP BASKETBALL

Ocosta 55, Hoquiam 39

Playing without two starters – one being the team’s leading scorer – is usually not a recipe for success, unless you are the opposing team.

That’s the situation Hoquiam found itself in on Thursday as Ocosta took advantage of a depleted Grizzlies squad for a 55-39 victory at Hoquiam Square Garden.

Hoquiam (3-6 overall) was without sophomore guard Lincoln Niemi – who was recently named as a Washington Interscholastic Activities Association Athlete of the Week – and 6-foot-2 senior center Victor Azevedo, both out due to illness.

“They were both just barely moving around last night (against Sultan) and I’m like, ‘We’re not doing that again. What’s the point? Stay home and get healthy,’” Hoquiam head coach Jeff Niemi said.

Ocosta (4-3) took advantage from the get-go, jumping out to a 16-4 first quarter lead as the Grizzlies had just two points through the first seven minutes of the game.

RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Ocosta guard Kayden Turner (14) scored a game-high 18 points in a 55-39 win over Hoquiam on Thursday at Hoquiam Square Garden.

“We came out and played with a lot more intensity in the first half,” said Ocosta senior guard Kayden Turner, who scored a game-high 18 points in the contest. “We didn’t allow them to get going and we were just hitting shots, which has been a big problem for us lately.”

The second frame provided no repreive for Hoquiam as the Grizzlies’ cold-shooting combined with the Wildcats pounding the glass led to Ocosta extending the difference.

Ocosta’s lead ballooned to over 20 points when Turner buried a 3-pointer to put the Wildcats up 25-4 at the 3:30 mark of the second quarter.

With less than a minute to go in the first half, Turner hit back-to-back threes for a 33-8 lead before a Ryker Maxfield layup with 0:08 on the clock put Hoquiam behind 33-10 at halftime.

“We were really trying to be physical and stick on their shooters. We know Hoquiam can really shoot the ball,” Ocosta head coach Jason Quinby said. “Obviously, not having Niemi tonight took one of their better shooters out. So we knew that if we could really stick tight on everybody else, be physical and play Ocosta basketball, we could have success.”

“This is the third game of the week and all we wanted to do tonight was just compete,” Coach Niemi said. “Unfortunately, I wasn’t thrilled with how we competed (in the first half).”

Playing with more urgency to start the third quarter, the Grizzlies pushed the ball on the break and applied more on-ball defensive pressure to score 14 points in the period, four more than the entire first half.

Hoquiam got a spark off the bench from senior Edgar Tobar, who hit two threes sandwiched around a Tage Dayton offensive rebound and putback to trim Ocosta’s lead to 49-32 two minutes into the fourth quarter.

But Ocosta remained steady, playing physical on the boards and on defense to keep the lead at around 20 points for the majority of the second half.

“We kind of established our identity early on the game, which is important for us,” Quinby said. “I feel like if we can establish a lead, we can maintain. We’re a pretty physical team and were pretty tough to score on when we’re locked in. And that’s what I wanted from the boys, just to get locked in, get a lead and come out of here with a win.”

Rebounding and shooting were problems for the Grizzlies.

Ocosta had 44 rebounds to 31 for Hoquiam and grabbed 21 offensive rebounds while the Grizzlies had 11.

“That’s just too many,” Coach Niemi said of Ocosta’s offensive rebounds. “A lot of them were in the first half … We knew it would be hard without Lincoln and Victor tonight. Between the two of them, they average about 28 points a game.”

Hoquiam went 18 for 55 from the field (32.7%), including 3 of 24 from 3-point range (12.5%).

Junior guard Joey Bozich led Hoquiam with nine points and seven rebounds.

Dayton had eight points and eight boards while Maxfield had six points, six rebounds and six assists for Hoquiam.

The Grizzlies never set foot on the foul line in the game as Hoquiam ended the contest without shooting a single free throw.

“That’s what we work on every day: Defending without fouling,” Turner said. “It’s good to see it finally translate in the game. Playing help defense, knowing our rotations and just being where we’re supposed to be and it played out how it’s supposed to.”

Ocosta hit 22-of-60 shots from the field (36.6%) and hit 7-of-16 3-point shots (43.8%).

In addition to Turner, Sonny beard (13 points, 10 rebounds) and Jesus Agramon (12 pts.) scored in double figures for the Wildcats.

RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Ocosta guard Jesus Agramon (left) avoids the block attempt of Hoquiam’s Tage Dayton (12) during the Wildcats’ 55-39 victory on Thursday at Hoquiam Square Garden.

Ocosta faces Taholah in a 1B Coastal League game at 7 p.m. on Friday.

The Grizzlies have some time off before they face Forks at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 27 in a holiday tournament at South Bend High School.

Ocosta 16 17 16 6 – 55

Hoquiam 4 6 14 15 – 39

Scoring: Ocosta – Turner 18, Beard 13, Agramon 12, Welch 7, Prigmore 3, Wyland 2, Priest 1. Hoquiam – Bozich 9, Dayton 8, Maxfield 6, Byron 6, Tobar 6, Abbott 4.

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Elma 51, Corbett 36

Elma played its way out of a “funk” with a 51-36 win over Corbett (Oregon) at the Seaside Tournament on Thursday in Seaside, Oregon.

The Eagles (5-1) were on a roll from the opening tip-off, starting the game on a 10-0 run and outscoring Corbett by 14 after the first eight minutes of play.

“What an energized group we had today,” Elma head coach Matt Ferrier said. “Our first quarter set the pace. … First time in the last two weeks we struck first with enthusiasm. Great way to break out of our funk.”

Elma shot 17 of 45 from the field (38%) and did most of its damage from inside the 3-point line, hitting 16-of-37 2-point shots (43%).

Senior guard Traden Carter led Elma with 23 points on 7-of-15 shooting (47%) and 8-of-10 free throws (80%) to go along with six rebounds and three assists.

Junior Matthew Wood added 10 points, nine boards and a steal for an Eagles team that had 45 rebounds in the game, 13 on the offensive glass.

“Our main focus coming into tonight was to control the paint and we succeeded,” Ferrier said. “We frustrated them damn near every possession. Everywhere they went, they saw our white (jerseys). Incredibly fun to watch us play with confidence. We were undersized versus their length and we definitely outrebounded them.”

Ferrier said a change in how his team played turned things around after what he considered below-par performances from over the past handful of games.

“After a tough two weeks, we bought into playing more physical,” he said. “We bought into not waiting for it to happen, but making it. Finally, we played more controlled and made smart decisions. Fun to see their enjoyment tonight. Guys stepped up when we needed it.”

Elma was without the services of Isaac McGaffey (ankle) and Trayton Webb (broken nose) due to injuries.

The Eagles will face unbeaten Madras (5-0) in a tournament game at 4:30 p.m. on Friday.

Corbett 5 8 10 13 – 36

Elma 19 10 9 13 – 51

Scoring: Elma – Carter 23, Wood 10, Moe 8, Schneider 4, Flores 3, Phan 3.