Wildcats Card 67-35

Nod of Highclimbers

By JOHN K. SMITH

Sun Sports Writer

West Wildcats defeated the Shelton Highclimbers 67-35 here last night. The score was insignificant. It could have been almost anything West wanted it to be.

It was the ninth straight class AA tournament trail triumph for the Wildcats without a setback. It clinched a post-season berth for the ‘Cats among three peninsula double-A teams that will vie with the Seamount league champion for a single state AA tournament berth next month at Seattle.

Otherwise, it was kind of pointless.

WEST RAN up a 21-3 lead at the end of the first quarter. Les Dicks, who was to end up game high individual scorer with 13 points, got seven in the first eight minutes. As a team, West sank nine of 20 field goal attempts and three of five free throws in the first quarter while Shelton was held to one for 14 from the floor and made its only gift toss good.

Both coaches – Bob Smith of West and Jim Doberty of Shelton – started their second units in the second quarter. Smith was trying to hold the score down; Doberty was trying to find somebody who could score at all.

Because of 10 free throws in 18 chances in the second period Shelton trailed only by 15 at half time. Intermission total was West 34, Shelton 18.

The spread drew by six in the third panel – that was almost 2-1 increase by the Wildcats – and 19-8 in the fourth quarter.

THE ONLY interest in the fourth period was when Dicks looed up at the scorers bench and asked who was high point for the team. The answer was center Dan Shedwin with 12. Dicks had 11 at the time.  He begged for another chance to go in and got it. Two free throws – with 1:13 left to play and just 38 seconds on the clock – gave him his individual high by a single point.

In addition to Dicks and Shedwin, J.D. Tamerius again was in double figures. The fine outside shooter popped in five field goals for 10 points and didn’t get a chance from the free throw line.

Dicks built his total on five of nine from the field and three of five at the charity stripe.

Shedwin meshed six of nine goal attempts but missed his lone gift try.

OVERALL, the Wildcats poured in 29 field goals in 65 attempts for 44.6 per cent while collecting on only nine of 19 free throws, 47.4 per cent. Highclimbers, who passed too often and shot too seldom and had so many passes stolen they must have thought the were playing Ali Bab and the 40 thieves, netted just nine of 48 field shots, 18.8 per cent, and 17 of 29 free throw tries, 58.6 per center.

J. D. TAMERIUS . . . Helped with 10

Dicks, Shedwin and Tamerius combined were awesome. They hit 16 of 28 from the floor – 57.1 per cent. But deep reserve Bud Grahn – the 6-4 plump pivot was the 12^th of 14 ‘Cats to get into the contest – made them look average. He bucketed all three goal attempts and his one free throw try for a perfect night and a respectable seven points.

Most any ‘Climber tallied was nine points.  John Anderson, a starter, and Mike Carte, previous starter who was with the second unit last night, reached that figure. Outside of Anderson, no Shelton starter got more than two points.  Center Jim Goodpaster, who had scored 30 points in his previous outing, fouled out of the contest without gathering a marker.

West is at Wilson of Tacoma Tuesday in a Capital league tiff and at South Kitsap Friday in another AA contest. Shelton plays North Thurston non-league tonight and invades East Friday.

Statistics

B Team Game

Shelton (37) - Kadoun 2, Richards 5, Barnes 16, Brickert 2, Bailey 10, Anderson 2, Villines, Carte, Wilson, Wyatt, Fredson, McNeil:

West (53) - Matlock 2, Gordon 4, Gran 10,  Shute 14, Egan 2, Chamberlain 6, Pudas, Munns, Costello 2, Watson 2, Tobacco 11.

Tracy's 18 Propel
66-45 Defeat of CK

By JOE SHERK

Sun Sports Writer

A scintillating 29-point second quarter obliterated a two-point deficit and enabled East Knights to go on to a 66-45 triumph over Central Kitsap Cougars in class AA tourney chase basketball contest at East last night.

With their comeback, Knights are still dogging the heels of West Wildcats in the district chase for top three playoff berths with a 8-1 mark. Cougars dropped to 4-4.

Junior guard John Tracy paced the attack for East, leading the tight pressing hosts with interceptions and passing that brought them from a 6-8 disadvantage at the first quarter to a 35-18 halftime margin.

TRACY TALLIED 10 points, center Darryl Fry nine and forward Jim Tienharra eight in the eight minutes. Other two tallied were added by Mike Holen.

Knights stole the ball with stiff full court defense many times during the period as they tied the count at 12 apiece on Holen’s swisher with 6:16 showing. From here it all belonged to the forces of Les Eathorne as they went in again and again for the easy lay-ins. All five baskets by Tracy were lay-ins while Fry provided the outside shooting with cannons from the corner.

Twelve points in the last 1:47 before intermission put the contest out of reach of Cougars. Knights stole the ball four times for easy shots at Tracy added six during this time.

A LAY-IN by Tracy with 1:47 started it and Knights were right back for another two by Fry with 1:32 showing. Two foul shouts by Tienhaara came with 1:11 to go and another pilfering set up Tracy for two with 1:04 remaining. East stole the ball again and Fry made good with 47 seconds showing and final two came with five seconds left on a driving lay in by Tracy.

Tracy wound up the game’s top scorer with 18 points although he played only two and a half periods. Tienhaara followed with 13 and Fry and Dave Garrison added 11 each for Knights who shot 47.6 per cent from the floor and a fantastic 12 of 17 in the second stanza. East made 29 of 53 field goal attempts.

Contest got off to a start with neither team able to score with any consistency. Winners were anything but the players they proved to be in the ensuing panel as their press wasn’t working and spirit and fire were lacking.

COUGARS used the foul line to advantage and took an 8-6 lead but Holen’s long twiner with 42 seconds left closed the gap to 8-6 at the close of the initial period.

Only three of nine two-point attempts dropped for Knights while CK notched but three of 13.

East kept rolling after intermission and Eathorne began pulling his starters midway

JOHN TRACY

. . . Pace-Setter

through the stanza. Knights totaled 18 points in the quarter and reserves added 13 more in the last eight minutes.

Top scorer for Ken Lund’s Cougars was guard Jerry Campana with 11. Joe Burroughs added nine for cold shooting visitors. Losers hooped 14 of 43, 32.7 per cent.

FOUL LINE yield by both squads was below par. Knights could make only eight of 21 opportunities while Cougars had a bit more fortune with 17 of 26.

Garrison scored all his points in the last two quarters, making good on five of seven shots form the floor but only one of four from the gift line.

Next action for Knights is Friday, when they battle Shelton Highclimbers at East in another AA tourney tilt. CK hosts Bainbridge in out-of-class Olympic league fray.

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West Picks Off Frosh Top on 33-31 Verdict

By J.K.S.

The big game of the “little people,” the second crosstown clash between freshman of West and East, was a tingling 33-31 conquest for West yesterday afternoon.

The host Wildkittens came from behind in the second quarter to lead at the half, 15-12, and after three quarters, 28-23. But they had to hold on for dear life for narrow victory when their free throwing went sour in the late moments and the Squires from East kept determinedly on their heels.

Game individual scoring honors went to Larry Love of East with 11 points.

JIM WHITE of West tallied 10 and, despite turnover troubles in the late going, was the hero who locked up the decision, sinking a free throw with nine seconds left after Love had made two gift tosses of his own just four official seconds before to make the count 31-32.

Neither team used many players. Neither could afford to. East used two substitutes, West one. Squire starter tallied all but one of their points. Wildkittens tipoff quintet provided all the points for the winners.

The victory didn’t clinch a championship. There are too many games left on the county frosh hoop slate. But it did decide the circuit leader and the probable titlist. Going into the game, West as 6-1 and East 4-1. Everyone else has lost at least two in the schedule of 10 loop frays apiece.

SQUIRES were the shooters in the early going, building an 11-6 advantage in the first quarter where Calvin Pharr of East had collected five and Jack Bailey of West had made all six for his side.

At the start of the second period, the count moved to 12-7 before the Wildkittens came to life as a unit. In the next few minutes, the ‘Kittens hooped up to a mere 11-12 deficit. With 2:06 left in the half, White tied the score and then sent West ahead with a pair of free throws. At 40 seconds before intermission, Rayford Green goaled to make it 15-12.

That didn’t put West home free.

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Joe Mount of East sand a quickie and then stole the West inbounds pass and goaled again to put the Squires on top 16-15 in the first stage of the second half. White came back with a goal for West but Pharr put in a free throw and the count was 17-17 with half of the third quarter gone.

LITTLE ALLEN Albertson roared off with a fast break basket and slender Butch Miller added a free throw that made it 20-17 for the Squires with 3:13 on the clock.

Walt Harrell of West countered with a gift toss had Rayford Green stole the ball and laid it in to knot the score again, this time at 36-all, with 2:54 showing.

Pharr missed a free throw but Love sank two. East had a 22-20 advantage but it was the last time the Squires were to be in front.

Dick Green, White and Harrell goaled to make it 26-22.

WITH 44 seconds left in the period, Wildkittens sent in Mike Ogg, their first and only substitute of the game.

Love contributed a free throw for East but West slowed the pace down and waited for a final shot. While finally cast off from at least 35 feet with just two seconds before the third period ended and the howitzer swooshed through the net to make it 28-23.

Rayford Green’s lay-in increase the margin to seven points but East kept chipping away. Wildkittens missed four of their next five free throw attempts and, instead of stalling with the ball, continued to fire away, mostly in vain, giving the Squires ample scoring opportunities.

LOVE GOALED with 37 seconds left to inch to 29-32 and sank the two free throws with 13 seconds to go to cut it to one point.

White’s last free throw concluded the turmoil in one of the most exciting basketball games played here this season, regardless of classification.

Central Kitsap Coubabes remained in contention for a possible first-place tie by tripping the Bainbridge yearlings, 31-27, yesterday. CK now is 4-2 and Bainbridge 3-3 in the league. High point was Islander Bill Nakao with 11. Dick Frender paced CK with 10.

East (31) - Pharr 6, Mount 4, Love 11, Albertson 4, Miller 5, Walker 1, Bohlmann;

West (33) - Harrell 5, R. Green 8, Bailey 8, White 10, D. Green 2, Ogg.