Sports
FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014
TH E
SI
DE LIN E
TACOMAWEEKLY.com
.
STADIUM STAYS ATOP NARROWS 4A WITH SWEEP OF BELLARMINE
Lincoln tops 4A power Jackson at King Holiday Hoopfest
The Sideline is Tacoma Weekly’s sports-only blog, providing you with quick game recaps as well as some content that won’t appear in print! Check in for regular updates, and we hope you enjoy! http://www.tacomaweekly.com/sideline
SECTION A, PAGE 6
TOP UPCOMING MATCHUPS BOYS SWIMMING
Jan. 31 – Narrows League Championships 4 p.m. – Mount Tahoma High School Local 3A, 4A swimmers look to advance to district meets.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Jan. 31 – Wilson @ Lincoln – 7 p.m. Rams look to stay on top after beating the Abes by 10 in first matchup.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Jan. 31 – Lincoln @ Wilson – 7 p.m. Another big rematch, after Wilson edged Lincoln by one point earlier.
GIRLS BOWLING
Feb. 1 – District Tournament 9 a.m. – Pacific Lanes Top bowlers converge on Tacoma to earn bid to state the following weekend.
FALCONS TOP T-BIRDS IN CLASH OF YOUNG SQUADS
PHOTO BY ROCKY ROSS
TAKEDOWN. (Top) Foss’ Hien Ly (right)
tries to escape the grab of Daniel Edison during his win at 195 pounds. (Bottom) Mount Tahoma 160-pounder Gerardo Cuevas (left) takes down the Falcons’ Clayton Nichols during his win. By Jeremy Helling jeremy@tacomaweekly.com
By Jeremy Helling jeremy@tacomaweekly.com
S
tadium is taking some big steps in pursuing its first league title since 1991. Led by senior forward Lucious Brown – who scored 15 of his game-high 24 points in the second half – the Tigers overwhelmed Bellarmine Prep in the fourth quarter to claim a 53-46 win over the Lions on Jan. 17 to improve to 7-0 in the Narrows 4A. The Tigers also claimed a sweep of the Lions after winning at Bellarmine Prep on Dec. 13. “It’s a huge step,” said Stadium head coach Doug Cocke’. “It feels good. It’s been a long time, and to beat Bellarmine twice is unbelievable. They’ve been dominating Stadium…I knew that if we could just outlast them and work a little harder in the end, then we could beat them.” Trailing 39-34 heading into the fourth, the Tigers held the Lions scoreless for over five minutes as they went on a 12-0 run to take control. Brown regained a 40-39 lead with two free throws with 6:33 to go, moments after he dazzled the Lions’ defense with two behind-the-back crossovers and nearly converted a jumper before being fouled. The Tigers continued drawing contact and getting to the free-throw line in the fourth quarter, converting 15 of 18 attempts to help secure the win. “We kind of came out really nonchalant in the first half,” Brown said. “We felt like they were just going to bow down because we beat them the first time. Coming into the fourth quarter I told them ‘We have to step it up. We have to play harder, we have to go harder because they’re not going to back down from us. They want to beat us as
PHOTOS BY ROCKY ROSS
IN CONTROL. (Top) Stadium senior Lucious Brown (35) tries to drive to
the basket as he draws contact from Bellarmine Prep’s Drew Griffin. (Bottom) The Lions’ Mar’kese Jackson (3) tries to get a shot up over the Tigers’ Bobby Moorehead (24).
much as we want to beat them.’” Bellarmine Prep jumped out to a 16-7 lead early in the second quarter on a three-pointer by Malachi Flynn, who led the Lions with 15 points. But Stadium senior guard Mark Galanesi came off the bench to hit three threepointers in the period to help pull the Tigers even. Brown kept the Tigers close in the third quarter with six points, but Flynn fed Will Wolf for an open layup with a second left in the period to give Bellarmine Prep a 39-34 lead. The Tigers’ defense then stood firm, flustering the
Lions into forced shots and turnovers. And the 6-foot-6 Brown took command of the offense, showing masterful ball control in driving in the lane and drawing contact. He converted nine of his 10 free throws in the fourth quarter. “He’s a unique player,” said Cocke’ of Brown. “It’s like having a second coach on the floor. He reads the floor, he reads the situations…He’s got great instincts. It’s not just he knows what to run, but he can handle the ball. He goes north to south, and he’s hard to slow down once he gets going.” X See STADIUM / page A9
In the midst of a trying season, the Foss wrestlers responded well against Mount Tahoma. The Falcons, who currently feature no seniors on their squad, won six of eight matches over the Thunderbirds to claim a 45-15 win at home on Jan. 16. “We were moving around, we were staying active and pushing the pace,” said Foss junior 195-pounder Hien Ly. “We were staying controlled on top and working it.” Ly earned a pin 19 seconds into the second round over Mount Tahoma’s Daniel Edison, after getting a key reversal toward the end of the first round to gain a 5-0 lead. The Falcons came up with four other pins on the night, as junior Joseph Wurtz began the match by pinning David Pressley just 55 seconds into the 132-pound bout. Sophomore Hung Mai followed at 138 pounds by pinning the Thunderbirds’ Zach Dean 30 seconds into the third round, after rolling to a 16-6 lead. Falcons junior 145-pounder Isaiah Smith was impressive in topping up-and-coming sophomore Garrett Owen-Bisson, gaining a 7-0 advantage before getting a pin midway through the second round. But the Thunderbirds got some good work from two experienced seniors. Gerardo Cuevas controlled much of his match at 160 pounds against the Falcons’ Clayton Nichols, building a 5-1 lead in the first round before eventually getting an 8-4 win. Thunderbirds senior Nehemiah Barr later pinned Foss freshman Cedric Havea 20 seconds into the second round at 285 pounds. Freshman Romeo Pathammavong outlasted Mount Tahoma junior James Pippin 7-3 at 152 pounds, and senior Jenny Dittell pinned the Thunderbirds’ Amiya Webster 50 seconds into the 113-pound girls match. Despite being short on experience, Ly and fellow junior 106-pounder Wascar Carpio have taken it on themselves to lead the way for the Falcons. And they still have their sights set on the postseason. “We’re going to bust our butts,” said Ly. “Taking state, that’s the goal.”