Led by another outstanding effort from sophomore star Karsyn Freeman, the Raymond Seagulls cruised to a 50-27 victory over Hoquiam at the Raymond Holiday Classic on Tuesday at Raymond High School.
Raymond (5-4 overall) got off to a quick start paced by Freeman, who scored 18 first-quarter points in a variety of ways. The dynamic 5-foot-6 guard off scored off mid-range, pull-up jump shots and steals that led to multiple hard-nosed drives to the basket.
Freeman closed out the first quarter on a drive and layup with 12 seconds to go to put Raymond up 21-12.
“We had a couple of days off, which I think kind of threw us off. But getting that fast start really helped us,” Freeman said.
The Gulls took a double-digit lead when junior guard Kyndal Koski splashed in a corner three to make it a 26-16 game with 2:48 left in the first half.
Koski would assist on a basket by freshman forward Ava Baugher to put Raymond up 28-16 before Hoquiam closed out the half on a step-through bucket by senior forward Ashlinn Cady, making it a 28-18 game at halftime after a low-scoring second quarter.
Raymond opened the third quarter on a 6-0 run, with junior forward Paige Williams hitting a bank shot followed by back-to-back fast-break layups from Freeman to take a 34-18 lead with just under six minutes left in the third quarter.
Hoquiam (4-3) responded with a pair of free throws and a three from senior guard Graci Bonney-Spradlin to pull to within 11 at 34-23 with 2:50 to go.
But Freeman responded with a fast-break pull-up jumper followed by a bucket from freshman Emma Glazier to put the Seagulls up 38-23 at the end of the frame.
“(Coach Koski) was pretty much just making sure we were doing the right thing and telling us what we needed to do better,” Freeman said of her coach’s halftime instructions to get the offense back on track.
Hoquiam wouldn’t get within striking distance the rest of the way as Raymond outscored the Grizzlies 12-4 in the fourth quarter, led by six points from Williams in the frame.
“This was a typical holiday game where it took awhile to get into a rhythm on the defensive end. Once we did I thought the second half we were pretty solid, assignment-wise,” Raymond head coach Jason Koski said.
Just one game removed from scoring 45 points, Freeman led all scorers with 26 points to go along with six steals and five rebounds.
Raymond grabbed 34 rebounds in the game, 17 on the offensive end, a key stat Coach Koski said “was a huge advantage for us getting more opportunities to score.”
Williams, Baugher and Alia Enlow each had six rebounds to lead the Seagulls.
RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Raymond’s Alia Enlow (10) and Paige Williams (34) compete for a rebound with Hoquiam’s Chloe Kennedy during the Seagulls’ 50-27 win in the Raymond Holiday Classic on Tuesday.
“We stayed low and made sure they didn’t get out on any fast breaks,” Freeman said of her team’s defensive strategy. “(The win) felt awesome. I enjoyed it.”
Hoquiam was led by senior center Chloe Kennedy’s eight points with Bonney-Spradlin and Cady adding seven and six points, respectively.
“We got outworked today and did not find a way to stop Freeman,” Hoquiam head coach Chad Allan said, lamenting the extra opportunities allotted to Raymond via the boards and his team committing 25 turnovers. “Giving an opponent (that many) more opportunities is never a good recipe for success. … We did have some opportunities on offense, but struggled to finish. Their defense caused that.”
The Raymond Holiday Classic continues Wednesday with Hoquiam taking on Morton-White Pass at 4 p.m. while Raymond hosts Tenino 7 p.m.
Hoquiam 12 6 5 4 — 27
Raymond 21 7 10 12 — 50
Scoring: Hoquiam — Kennedy 8, Bonney-Spradlin 7, Cady 6, LaBounty 2, Graham 2, Folkers 2. Raymond — Freeman 26, Williams 8, Kyn. Koski 6, Glazier 4, Baugher 4, Kas. Koski 2.
