BOYS BASKETBALL
Olympia earned the fourth and final playoff berth from the 4A Narrows League with its down-to-the-wire, 55-54 boys basketball win over Central Kitsap on Wednesday night at Chick Rockey Gymnasium.
The Bears held a 55-51 lead with less than a minute remaining before Ty Luna’s 3-pointer with 11.5 seconds to play pulled the Cougars to 55-54. Central Kitsap had the final shot with 3.5 seconds to go following a timeout, but Michael Thomas’ shot rolled off the rim, preserving the Bears’ win.
Brendan Leonard paced Olympia (12-8) with 17 points. Alex Johnson had 15 points and Michael Naipo and Michael Champlin had 13 and 10 points, respectively.
Olympia will face the SPSL’s No. 2 team -– either Curtis or Tahoma – on the road next Wednesday to open the West Central/Southwest bi-district tournament. A time has not been announced.
Donaven Dorsey’s game-high 20 points and nine rebounds led Timberline to a 54-41 3A Narrows League victory over North Thurston in the teams’ regular-season finale. The postseason-bound Blazers (12-8) will be the league’s No. 3 seed into next week’s West Central/Southwest bi-district tournament. The Blazers will play an opponent to be determined at 7:45 p.m. Wednesday at Franklin Pierce.
Girls basketball
Central Kitsap ended Olympia’s hopes for a postseason berth with a 61-38 win to conclude the 4A Narrows League regular season. The Bears (11-9) finished their season, while the Cougars will be the Narrows League’s third seed into next week’s West Central/Southwest bi-district tournament. Jona Spiller led the Bears with 10 points. Sarah Snodgrass had eight.
Timberline will be the 3A Narrows League’s No. 2 seed into next week’s district tournament despite a 50-48 regular-season finale loss to North Thurston. The Blazers (10-10) will play the No. 5 seed from the Seamount/SPSL at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Franklin Pierce in a loser-out game.
Northwest Christian fell into the consolation bracket of the 2B District IV tournament with a 41-22 opening-round loss to Toutle Lake at Montesano. The Navigators face the loser of Saturday’s Morton-White Pass/Wahkiakum game at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Rochester in a loser-out game.
mwochnick@ theolympian.com
