A defensive struggle saw the Bobcats come out ahead with a 51-41 victory over the Eagles in Elma on Dec. 18 night.
Aberdeen (5-1 overall) got off to a fast start while Elma struggled to get its offense off the ground. Aberdeen had a 17-3 lead at the end of the first quarter in a period where Elma only hit one shot from the field.
Elma (1-6) didn’t let the game get out of hand, however, and tightened up on defense in the second quarter. Aberdeen’s Ben Dublanko led the way with 23 points. The senior point guard was the only Bobcat in double figures as Elma looked to limit shots from Aberdeen’s other guards.
Aberdeen head coach Mark Buckman gave credit to Elma coach Jeff Niemi for his defensive strategy.
“I thought they did a great job against us, trying to slow down our two best players,” he said. “They tried to speed us up at times when we needed to be a little more patient.”
Aberdeen carried a 31-18 lead into halftime, but Elma came out of the locker room hot and and went on an 11-5 run, cutting the gap to 36-29 halfway through the third quarter.
Aberdeen built its lead back up by limiting Elma’s second chance opportunities with strong play on the boards.
Nick Farrer got some more playing time than usual with Derrell Shale out of the lineup and led the Bobcats with 11 rebounds.
Aberdeen’s Dailen King hits a mid-range jumper over Elma’s Josiah Jones-Wyeth on Tuesday. (Hasani Grayson | Grays Harbor News Group)
Farrer said it was important for everyone on his team to play within themselves with the game on the line.
“We all knew our roles and we all knew that we needed a win after losing last night,” he said. “I just wanted to play my role and that was getting boards for the team, and I did the best I could out there.”
Elma made one more push to tie the game in the fourth quarter when the Bobcats offense stalled.
The Eagles got a solid effort from Cody Vollan who put up 10 points, dished out six assists and spent a lot of time guarding Javier Bojorge.
Vollan hit two shots in the final minutes of the game to cut the lead to single digits, but the comeback attempt fell short as Aberdeen hit free throws to put the game away when Elma was forced to foul.
Hasani Grayson | Grays Harbor News Group Elma’s Cody Vollan, left, takes a 3-point shot while Aberdeen’s Nick Farrer, right, closes out to defend. Vollan led the Eagles with 10 points during a 51-41 loss to the Bobcats on Dec. 18 in Aberdeen.
Niemi said Vollan did a lot to keep the Eagles afloat in the contest.
“Vollan is pretty outstanding, To be the team’s best offensive player and defensive player is a tough thing to ask, but he can do it,” Niemi said. “He denied Bojorge all night and it was impressive to watch.”
Buckman was impressed with Elma’s defense but also felt his team’s energy was off. He noted that playing North Thurston the previous night, along with the winter break, made it difficult for his team to perform at its normal level.
“The winter break crept up on us with three games in our break,” he said. “It definitely takes the kids out of their routine. We do whatever we can to have them be more prepared when they come into practice and the games because, in the past, it’s taken a little bit more for us to conjure up that energy.”
Elma 3 15 11 12 — 41
Aberdeen 17 14 12 8 — 51
Top Players: Aberdeen — Dublanko (23 pts.,), Farrer (2pts., 11 reb.); Elma — Vollan ( 10 pts, 6 asst.), Cobey Moore (9 pts., 11 reb.)
Seaside (Ore.) 78, Montesano 52
Seaside proved why they are the cream of the crop in Oregon class 4A basketball, shooting nearly 50 percent from the field in a 78-52 victory over the Montesano Bulldogs on Dec. 20 at the Seaside Holiday Tournament.
“They are a very good basketball team, and everybody is back from last year’s team,” Monte head coach Doug Galloway said of the defending two-time state champions. “They don’t have a lot of weaknesses and played very well.”
Monte (4-3) found itself down by five after one quarter but Seaside (4-2) caught fire in the second frame, outscoring the Bulldogs by 14 points to take a commanding 42-23 lead into the half.
The Seagulls shot 25-55 from the field and 8-22 from the 3-point line while Monte made 18-of-53 shots.
The Bulldogs’ Braden Dohrmann led Monte with 10 points off the bench.
Montesano 12 11 13 16 — 52
Seaside 17 25 18 18 — 78
Top Players: Montesano — Dohrmann (10 pts.).
Montesano 62, Eatonville 50
Sam Winter scored 25 points to lead the Montesano Bulldogs to a 62-50 victory over Eatonville on Dec. 18 in Montesano.
In addition to Winter’s big-scoring night, the junior guard added six rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Shaydon Farmer and Trace Ridgway had double-digit scoring nights for Monte. Farmer scored 13 points andgrabbed six boards while Ridgway added 12 points.
The win ends Monte’s two-game skid after suffering losses to 2A schools Black Hills and Aberdeen.
Eatonville 15 6 20 9 — 50
Montesano 11 18 21 12 — 62
Top Players: Monte — Winter (15 pts., 6 reb., 4 asst., 3 stl.), Farmer (13 pts., 6 reb.), Ridgway (12 pts.).
Aberdeen’s Ben Dublanko, right, dribbles past Elma’s Carter Jacobson near mid court in the third quarter on Tuesday. Dublanko led the Bobcats with 23 points. (Hasani Grayson | Grays Harbor News Group)
