Prep basketball roundup: Nurmi leads 3-point barrage as Wolves win district opener
Lindsey Nurmi had the hot hand, Emma Duff was the steadying hand and by the time the Black Hills duo took seats on the bench late in the fourth quarter, the Wolves had victory well in hand in their Class 2A Southwest District 4 opener.
Nurmi, a 5-foot-6 sophomore, knocked down seven of Black Hills’ 10 three-pointers and scored 25 points as the Wolves dominated Woodland, 65-37, Friday night at Black Hills.
“It felt great,” Nurmi said — her seven treys were believed to be a school record.
Duff, a 6-foot junior, was the conduit through which the Wolves’ offense ran, and she contributed 14 points.
Black Hills, now 18-3 for the season, moves on to play Washougal at 7:45 p.m. Monday at R.A Long High School in Longview. Washougal topped Centralia, 69-51, Friday.
Woodland (10-11) plays Centralia in a loser-out game Monday at Mark Morris in Longview.
Black Hills coach Tanya Greenfield said she’s been able to count on consistency of effort all season from the Wolves, especially on defense.
“We focus on it,” she said. “It doesn’t always mean we’re good at it, but we work hard to be good at it.”
Nurmi, the coach said, didn’t acquire her shooting chops by accident, but works on her offense outside official practice time.
“She puts in hours in the gym shooting,” Greenfield said. “She’s that type of person.
Woodland, the No. 4 seed team from the 2A Greater St. Helens League, scored the first points of the game on a bucket down low by Dana Glovick. The Beavers wouldn’t hit another field goal until two seconds remained in the quarter on a post move by Glovick.
By then, the Wolves led 18-8, behind seven points by floor leader Duff and consecutive three-pointers to close the period by Nurmi.
Black Hills built a 39-22 halftime lead on a 14-2 Wolves splurge to finish the half, with Nurmi having a hand in 10 of the points: two triples, a layup off a feed from Duff and an assist on Taylor Patti’s banker down low.
Nurmi scored the first eight points of the third quarter on two more 3-pointers and a foul-line jumper as the Wolves got on their way to a 28-point lead that never dipped below 20 the rest of the game.
Freshman Maisy Williams contributed nine points for Black Hills. Defender Sammi Payne chipped in five points, including a 3-pointer, and Kayley Moloney added five points.
Jessica Flanagan led Woodland with 12 points, and Glovick finished with seven.
Hockinson 63, at W.F. West 44: Last year’s 2A second-place state finisher will find itself in a loser-out game against Tumwater (7-14) on Monday.
The Bearcats (13-8) couldn’t get a handle on Hockinson’s Hannah Neibauer, who finished with a game-high 20 points. Lexie Strasser had a team-high 15 for W.F. West.
Rainier 49, Winlock 26: The Mountaineers cruised by the Cardinals at Montesano High School to remain alive in the 2B Southwest District 4 tournament.
Rainier (13-9) will play the loser of Raymond-Wahkiakum at 1 p.m. Monday at Montesano.
Mark Morris 58, Tumwater 55: The Monarchs edged the T-Birds due to great play by Brooke Walling and Libby Bartleson. Walling was the game’s leading scorer with 17 points, and Bartleson chipped in 15 of her own.
Mackenzie Bergquist led the T-Birds with 13 points and Carissa Rodriguez had 12.
BOYS
River Ridge 71, Renton 62: Five Hawks reach double-digit scoring Friday night as River Ridge defeated the Indians by nine points.
Kelle Sanders scored a game-high 13 points for the Hawks and Kobe Key chipped in with 12. River Ridge moves on to face Liberty at 7:45 p.m. Wednesday at Foss. Renton will face Port Angeles at noon on Monday at Foss.
North Thurston 64, Columbia 39: The Rams bounced back after a loss to Auburn Riverside on Wednesday, routing the Chieftains by 25 points. Wes Reynolds recorded a double-double for North Thurston with 12 points and 10 assists. Reynolds spread the ball around well, getting his teammates multiple high-conversion shots.
“The kids really came out and played tenacious defense,” said Tim Brown, the Rams head coach. “This was by far our best game of the year. We know we didn’t play great the other night, so we just felt like we had to bounce back tonight.”
This story was originally published February 12, 2016 at 11:34 PM with the headline "Prep basketball roundup: Nurmi leads 3-point barrage as Wolves win district opener."