High school sports roundup for Feb. 7, 2017

Top performer: PJ Talen, Tacoma Baptist — scored 31 points in win over Mt. Rainier Lutheran

Tacoma Baptist 67, Mt. Rainier Lutheran 51: The wait is over for the Crusaders as they secured a big win over the Hawks on Tuesday .

“It was a big win for us,” Tacoma Baptist coach Rich Hamlin said. “This is the first time in three years that we are going onto districts.

“They are seeing the fruit of their labors, so this is a big deal.”

Though the game went the Crusaders’ way, the game was a very close battle as the buzzer for the first half sounded.

“It was a two point game at halftime and we outscored them 23 to 11 in the third quarter,” said Hamlin. “We got PJ Talen, who got to the basket with some acrobatic finishes at the cup and had another solid game for us.”

Talen, a 6-foot-2 junior, got a monstrous 31 points in the game, scoring more than any other player in the game.

Coach Hamlin still felt that things could be improved, especially at the end of the first half.

"We were up 10 in the second quarter and kinda just lost focus and they scored as time expired,” said Hamlin. “So we had to come out again and extend that lead again, and this time we (did) it appropriately and we ended well. “

The Crusaders will be playing for third place on Saturday which will give the Crusaders another home game.

Tumwater 53, Aberdeen 42: In what proved to be a physical matchup, the Thunderbirds were able to pull away in the second half from the Bobcats.

The game was close through the first two quarters. Tumwater held a 19-18 lead at halftime. Halftime adjustments were crucial for the Thunderbirds.

“The first half was really physical,” Tumwater head coach Thomas Rowswell said. “They were able to be scrappy and play at their tempo. In the second half, we matched their physicality and adjusted to the game atmosphere.”

Brian Marty was sensational for the Thunderbirds. The senior guard dropped 29 points, doing most of the scoring in the paint. Marty was able to attack the rim and convert on free throw opportunities.

For the Bobcats, Victor Gomez scored a team-high 17 points.

Tumwater moves on to play in the 2A district tournament. The tournament runs from Feb. 11-18.

Top performer: Sierra Snyder, Tumwater — 17 points in win against Aberdeen

Tumwater 63, Aberdeen 24: In a big senior night win, the Thunderbirds secured a decisive victory against the Bobcats.

“It was our senior night, so we wanted to send our seniors out on a high note with a good win,” said Tumwater coach Alyssa Vogt.

And send them out on a high note they did with all three seniors scoring big for their team with Allison Smith getting 6 points, Brooke Hare getting 13 points, and Sierra Snyder getting a game high 17 points.

Tenino 43, Forks 27: The Beavers built a dam that held up against a Spartans onslaught in a repeat matchup between the two teams.

“We had to beat them again in order to go to districts,” said Tenino coach Brandi Thomas. ”We knew they were gonna come out hungry as ever, so we knew it was gonna be a tough game just cause we both want it pretty bad.”

Leading the charge for the Beavers was freshman Emma Homman who got a game-high 13 points.

“She was crashing the boards pretty hard tonight,” said Thomas. “She is starting to peak at the right time.”

Tenino had a great showing defensively, holding Forks to single digits in each quarter.

“We've noticed some great things overall for the whole team,” said Thomas. “It has just been a really team effort overall.”

The Tenino will look to keep their district hopes alive this Friday on the road when they play La Center at 7 p.m. Friday.

Tacoma Baptist 48, Mount Rainier Lutheran 33: The Crusaders cruised to a victory against the Hawks in a strong showing that saw Tacoma Baptist come out strong in the third quarter.

Initially a low scoring game, the Crusaders were only up by four points at half, but blew the lead open scoring 18 to the Hawks 10 in the third en route to the win.

“Rachel VanLiew, she’s our center, she had a great game,” said Tacoma Baptist assistant coach Dale Riley. “Brooklyn had a great game too.”

Junior Brooklyn Pascua led the game scoring 13 points with teammates Rachel VanLiew and Madelynn Kitselman getting 10 points apiece for Tacoma Baptist.

This story was originally published February 7, 2017 at 11:42 PM with the headline "High school sports roundup for Feb. 7, 2017."