HOQUIAM — After a first-half that showed a lot of rust, the Hoquiam Grizzlies used a second-half surge — keyed by a defensive switch and relentless rebounding — to earn a 68-62 come-from-behind victory over the visiting Onalaska Loggers in Wednesday’s season opener.
After jumping out to a quick 4-0 lead, the Grizzlies’ varsity inexperience and lack of practice time (due to many players competing in an extended football season) began to show as miscues and missed shots led to Onalaska running off 10 straight points en route to a 19-10 lead at the end of the first quarter.
In spite of the flat start, Hoquiam was able to keep the game close thanks to Grizzlies post player Matt Brown. Brown scored 14 of his team-high 24 points in the first half, going 7-for-8 from the floor to keep the Grizzlies within striking distance.
Hoquiam trimmed the Loggers’ lead to 28-25 on a short jump shot from guard Ben Estes in the second quarter, but Onalaska went on a 11-2 run capped by a Carter Whitehead 3-point buzzer-beater to give the Loggers a 39-27 halftime lead.
“We were sluggish,” Hoquiam head coach Curtis Eccles said of his team’s first-half performance. “They outworked us and it showed in the first half.”
The second half was a different story for Hoquiam, which decided to get back into the game by pounding the glass and switching up defensive looks.
“I think the big difference was we adjusted our defense and that made (Onalaska) look somewhere else,” Eccles said of his strategy to switch to a 2-3 zone defense in hopes of limiting the open perimeter shots Onalaska was getting in the first half.
The plan worked as Hoquiam erased the deficit by outscoring the Loggers 21-9 in the third quarter and entered the final frame tied at 48-48.
Sparked by the comeback, Hoquiam took the lead for good in the fourth quarter on a turnaround jumper from guard Garrett Dick to give the Grizzlies a 54-53 lead.
Hoquiam outscored Onalaska 10-6 the rest of the way to preserve the 68-62 come-from-behind victory.
Hoquiam’s Jackson Folkers, left, guards Onalaska’s Ashton Haight during the first half of the Grizzlies 68-59 won Wednesday evening. (Ryan Sparks | Grays Harbor News Group)
“We don’t have a lot of varsity experience. We have a couple of guys but we don’t have a lot of chemistry yet,” said Brown, who is one of just a handful of Hoquiam athletes with previous varsity playing time. “It just feels good getting a win while building that chemistry.”
The Grizzlies outrebounded the Loggers 64-43, including a whopping 23-10 advantage on the offensive glass. During its fourth-quarter run to victory, four of Hoquiam’s first five buckets came off of an offensive rebound.
“We talked about that at halftime, that they were kicking our butts on the boards,” Eccles said. “We need to make sure they are one-and-out. We guessed that they scored 12 to 13 points just from their second and third opportunities, and that’s too many. They did a great job of fixing that in the second half.”
The Grizzlies also did a better job of protecting the basketball after the break, as six of Hoquiam’s 20 turnovers came in the second half.
Hoquiam senior forward Bryson Eccles led the Grizzlies with 14 rebound and had a double-double with 11 points.
In addition to his 24 points, Brown added 13 boards for Hoquiam and Cameron Bumstead added a double-double of his own with 14 points and 10 rebounds to go along with six assists.
“It’s always a great thing to get a win in your first game here at home,” Coach Eccles said. “And that’s really important for these guys to get off on the right foot.”
Onalaska 19 20 9 14 — 62
Hoquiam 10 17 21 20 — 68
Top Players: Hoquiam — Brown (24 pts, 13 reb), Bumstead (14 pts, 10 reb, 6 asst), Eccles (11 pts, 14 reb)
Hoquiam’s Kyle Larson (5) is defended by Onalaska’s David Fritch (44) and Kayden Allison (40) during Hoquiam’s win on Wednesday. (Ryan Sparks | Grays Harbor News Group)
