The start essentially also represented the finish for Hoquiam’s boys.
Needing less than six minutes to establish a double-digit lead, Tumwater went on to beat the Grizzlies, 76-63, in a non-league boys basketball game Friday night at Hoquiam Square Garden.
Doing much of his damage on drives, many of those following steals, quick senior guard Brian Marty led the Class 2A T-Birds with 23 points. C.J. Geathers added 18, while sixth-man Isaiah Koukal (the son of former Hoquiam standout Marshall Koukal) contributed 12 points.
Hoquiam senior guard Jack Adams III paced all scorers with 24 points — 21 coming in the second half. Senior post Jace Varner chipped in with 19 points, but no other Grizzly scored more than six.
The Grizzlies (3-3) faced several problems early. Playing without starting point guard Jerod Steen, who will miss one game due to academic-related reasons, they experienced difficulty adjusting to Tumwater’s aggressive man-to-man defense. Six of Hoquiam’s 16 turnovers came in the opening quarter.
The taller T-Birds (2-3) predictably also owned a 36-26 rebounding advantage. Despite missing some close-in shots in the opening minutes, the visitors also warmed up to an eventual .517 field-goal percentage.
“We did have some difficulty with their physicality,” HHS coach Curtis Eccles observed. “But I’m proud of these guys. Tumwater is supposed to win their league and we battled them. The difference was their size got to us, because we don’t have a true post.”
Marty’s conventional three-point play and a pair of Koukal baskets gave Tumwater a 14-4 advantage at the 2:21 mark of the first quarter. A rare four-point play by Geathers, who was fouled while hitting a trey from the right corner and converted the free throw, gave the T-Birds a 21-point bulge at 35-14 with about three minutes left in the first half.
To Hoquiam’s credit, that proved to be Tumwater’s largest lead of the contest. Down 41-25 at the half, the Grizzlies outscored the visitors in the second half, but never made a significant run.
Perhaps the Grizzly highlight came when they scored six points during a 13-second sequence in the third quarter.
Zach Spradlin drove for a layin and was fouled. He missed the free throw but teammate Anthony Nash was fouled on the putback.
Nash made the first of two free throws and the Grizzlies again rebounded the missed second shot. That led to an Adams three-ball that trimmed the deficit to 12, at 55-43.
Hoquiam, however, could not come any closer. Tumwater led by as many as 20 in the final period.
Adams and Varner each had five rebounds, with the latter also collecting three steals. Spradlin also swiped three steals, while reserve guard Ryan Espedal handed out four assists.
Steen is expected to return to action tonight when the Grizzlies travel to North Beach as part of a co-ed doubleheader.
Tumwater 20 21 18 17 — 76 Hoquiam 8 17 20 18 — 63
Tumwater (76) — Marty 23, May 4, Geathers 18, Otton 6, Drayton 9, Koukal 12, Weller, Koelsch 3, Brown, Wilmovsky, Weller, Slater 1. FG — 30-58 (.517). FT — 10-16.
Hoquiam (63) — Spradlin 6, Nash 2, Adams 24, James 7, Varner 19, Espedal, Dayton 5, Mazariegos. FG — 21-47 (.447). FT — 16-24.
JV — Hoquiam 56, Tumwater 45. Matt Brown 17 points for Hoquiam.
(Brendan Carl | The Daily World) Hoquiam’s Anthony Nash reaches in to try and force a held ball against Tumwater on Friday.
(Brendan Carl | The Daily World) Hoquiam’s Jace Varner shoots a 3-pointer against Tumwater on Friday.
(Brendan Carl | The Daily World) Hoquiam’s Anthony Nash, left, Jack Adams III, center, and Zach Spradlin surround a Tumwater player to force a held ball on Friday.
(Brendan Carl | The Daily World) Hoquiam’s Anthony Nash, left, Jack Adams III, center, and Zach Spradlin surround a Tumwater player to force a held ball on Friday.
