The Aberdeen boys basketball team showed grit in outlasting a tough RA Long team to earn a victory as we take a look at Tuesday’s prep boys basketball action.
Aberdeen 50, RA Long 46
Aberdeen used a big night from Javier Bojorge to earn a 50-46 home victory against RA Long on Tuesday night.
Bojorge took control of the offense with his team-leading 18 points to go along with six rebounds and four assists.
Aberdeen (2-0 overall) jumped out to a 14-9 lead with just over two minutes left in the half with the help of their full-court press that troubled Lumberjack ball handlers.
RA Long (0-3) stormed back in the second quarter and used its press to force some turnovers of its own to draw the game even at 21 by halftime.
Though the Bobcats had trouble getting the ball past half court at points in the game, Aberdeen guard Ben Dublanko said it was a good learning experience to face a team with a similar style to its own.
“That’s exactly how we want to play. It was a good opportunity for us to learn how to handle some contact,” he said. “They’re a pretty physical team, a strong group of kids and it was huge for us get a handle on some of that contact.”
Dublanko was a defensive focus for the Lumberjacks and had trouble getting open looks at times. With most of the attention placed on him, Dublanko found success as a distributor and helped to hit Bojorge with open looks for jumpers.
“My teammates were just hitting me when I was open, so I was just taking the shots they were giving me, the shots that the team needed” Bojorge said.
With Bojorge heating up, the Bobcats led by seven with about a minute-and-a-half left in the contest, but the Lumberjacks didn’t go down quietly.
Some late scoring from Cameron Holden and Tanner Rybnikar on consecutive possessions cut the lead two with less than a minute to go in the game.
The Bobcats escaped with the victory when Giovani Pisani hit two late free throws with five seconds left to put the game away.
Aberdeen’s Giovani Pisani scores on the fast break in the first quarter against RA Long on Tuesday. (Hasani Grayson | Grays Harbor News Group)
Aberdeen will now prepare for its shortest road trip of the season when they take on crosstown rival Hoquiam at 7 p.m. on Friday.
Bobcats head coach Mark Buckman said he hopes his team can tune out any outside distraction and execute the game plan.
“You have to go in there with a focus and understanding that no one is going to get it done on their own,” he said. “The Grizzlies are solid and well coached so hopefully we can give them our best shot.”
Northwest Christian 66, Ocosta 65
A late surge from Northwest Christian sunk Ocosta in the fourth quarter in a tough 66-65 loss to the Navigators on Tuesday night in Westport.
Ocosta carried a 50-43 lead into the fourth quarter, but Wildcats’ trouble rebounding ended up being their Achilles’ heel as Northwest Christian (3-1) came away with 29 offensive rebounds.
Wildcats coach Jason Quimby was disappointed in the loss and frustrated by the way his team responded to the Navigators’ ball pressure.
“We had a 10 point lead and we flat out blew it,” he said. “We had turnovers late in the game against the press and gave up a few easy buckets late and we kept letting them stay in the game with offensive rebounding.”
Quimby added that his team will be working on boxing out during the next practice.
Kobe Beck was a bright spot for his team in the loss, leading Ocosta with 28 points. Alex Bailey contributed on defense with six steals.
Ocosta (2-2) will look to bounce back from its loss with a game against the Hyaks in North Beach on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Seton Catholic 83, Elma 52
The Eagles were hindered by turnovers in an 83-52 loss on Tuesday at Seton Catholic High School.
Elma (0-3) fell behind 29-14 after one quarter and failed to score more than 15 points in any frame.
The Eagles had more assists (10-6), outrebounded Seton Catholic (27-20) and held a slightly better shooting percentage (51-50) than the Cougars. But Elma committed 34 turnovers to Seton Catholic’s 11, which led to the Cougars putting up 26 more shots.
Carter Jacobson was the only Eagle in double figures with 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting. He also had five rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals in the loss.
Sam Schneider had nine points on 3-of-6 from the 3-point line and Kilian Acuff added eight points for Elma, which plays at RA Long at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
— Ryan Sparks, Grays Harbor News Group
