Prep roundup: Luke Layton scores 24 points to lead Capital past Kelso
BOYS BASKETBALL 3A WEST CENTRAL/SOUTHWEST
Capital 58, Kelso 53: The Cougars followed up their one-point victory over Evergreen with a more controlled win over the Hilanders by using a stout defense.
“We were up three at the end of the first quarter and up two at halftime, but then they came out in the third with a 7-0 run,” said Capital coach Brian Vandiver. “At that point, we could have accepted what was going on, but they got after it defensively.”
The Cougars were strong on the defensive boards, and doing it by committee as Jack Collard, Chris Schellman and Grant Erickson were pulling down the rebounds.
Offensively, Capital was without league MVP TJ Mickelson. But don’t tell Luke Layton.
“In the last two games, he is finding his stroke,” Vandiver said.
Layton once again scored 24 points, matching his total against Evergreen.
With the win, Capital advanced to the finals in the consolation bracket. The Cougars will host North Thurston at 1:45 p.m. Saturday.
North Thurston 59, Central Kitsap 55: Even though it was not the prettiest game to play, the Rams earned their third victory of the season over the Cougars.
“It feels great to win. Central Kitsap played hard and got ahead of us early on,” said North Thurston coach Tim Brown. “Throughout the game, we talked about playing hard and keep battling out there.”
And the Rams took that to heart as Clay Christian scored 18 points and Tim Tenkley added 14. Tenkley lived by the 3-point shot as he made four on the night.
Leading the Cougars were RJ Secrest with 20 points and Jayden Upshaw with 18.
“We did a nice job of defending them and making rebounds when we needed too,” Brown said. “Even though they made a little comeback in the fourth quarter, we battled out there. It was a great win.”
GIRLS BASKETBALL 2A WEST CENTRAL
Olympic 46, Eatonville 31: The Trojans proved too powerful for the Cruisers.
“They just gradually pulled away quarter by quarter,” said Eatonville coach Jess VanderWeerdt. “We got some good looks early and couldn’t knock ’em down.”
After a strong performance on both sides of the court, Olympic’s Danielle Monzon finished with a game-high 13 points.
“Monzon is an outstanding player on both ends of the floor,” said VanderWeerdt. “She makes things happen for them; she really makes their defense go, too.”
Eatonville had a strong third quarter in which the Cruisers managed to make up ground.
“We played hard. Our seniors were great leaders throughout the season,” said VanderWeerdt. “Leadership isn’t about telling the underclassmen what to do, it’s about leading the way.”
This story was originally published February 15, 2017 at 11:39 PM with the headline "Prep roundup: Luke Layton scores 24 points to lead Capital past Kelso."