10A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2018
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Gary Henley | Sports Reporter
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CLATSOP CLASHES
Seaside boys
back at full
strength, as Gulls
defeat Astoria
By GARY HENLEY
The Daily Astorian
SEASIDE — The best way to
cure a two-game losing skid is a
Clatsop Clash win.
Which is exactly what the Sea-
side Gulls accomplished Tuesday
night at home, as they avoided a
rare three-game losing streak by
flying past Astoria, 54-39, in a
Cowapa League boys basketball
game.
And Seaside was back at full
strength in front of their packed
house at the Gulls’ Nest, and look-
ing much like a defending state
champion is supposed to look.
They’re also right back in a
position to re-take the Cowapa
League.
Seaside improves to 5-2 in
league, back within a game of
first-place Banks, which lost Tues-
day to Valley Catholic. The Gulls
host the Valiants Friday, and also
host Banks in the regular season
finale.
The Gulls had their floor game
working in Tuesday’s win, scor-
ing off turnovers and draining
3-pointers.
Their only problem in the first
quarter — the Fishermen were
right there with them.
Astoria was matching Seaside
shot-for-shot early on, as the game
was tied 15-15 late in the opening
period, before a late 3-pointer by
Payton Westerholm.
And those points put Seaside
in front to stay, as Ryan Hague
knocked down a trey early in the
second quarter, and senior Rafi
Sibony keyed an 8-0 run with a
pair of 3-pointers late in the first
half.
Seaside was 5-of-13 from the
3-point line in the first half, and
the Gulls held Astoria to just four
free throws in the third quarter.
Chase Januik was back in the
starting lineup for Seaside and
scored 10 points, behind Hague’s
12. Duncan Thompson had nine
points, and Beau Johnson was
also back in the lineup, scoring
eight points.
Astoria’s Karsten Johnson led
all scorers with 14 points, with
Ian Hunt tossing in 12 for the
Fishermen.
Astoria Lady
Fishermen reel
off 19-0 run in
win at Seaside
Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
Timber Engblom goes for a layup for the Loggers.
Knappa Loggers boys team topples
No. 2-ranked Columbia Christian
By GARY HENLEY
The Daily Astorian
K
NAPPA — The favorites for the Class
2A state title in boys basketball?
It’s looking more and more like the
Knappa Loggers.
Having already knocked off No. 1-ranked
Western Mennonite, the Loggers took down
No. 2 Columbia Christian, 64-58, in a Tuesday
night showdown between the two powers of
2A boys basketball and the Northwest League.
And the Knights and Loggers (currently
tied at 16-1 in the NWL standings) may not
even be halfway done in the battle to be the
best.
In an odd standard operating procedure for
the league, the two teams will likely have to
play a tie-breaker for the NWL title early next
week, which will decide first place in the reg-
ular season.
Then the Knights and Loggers will turn
right around and play a fourth — and most
meaningful — game Feb. 17 at a neutral site
for the No. 1 seed to the state playoffs. And
once they get to state, the Knights and Loggers
could end up facing each other at the state tour-
nament in Pendleton.
For now: Advantage, Knappa.
The Knappa gymnasium was packed Tues-
day like it was for games 20 years ago —
which, incidentally, was also a state champion-
ship season for the Loggers.
“Round 2 goes to us,” said Knappa coach
Chris Spencer. “But we’ll see them again.
We’re not done with that team yet.”
Knappa trailed after one quarter in Tues-
day’s game, but the Loggers ran the Knights
off the court the rest of the way.
“We just wanted it more,” Spencer said.
“We spread them out and just kept attacking.
Just straight attacking, and we didn’t take our
foot off the gas.”
And offensively, it was also a balanced
attack for the Loggers, who finished with four
players in double figures.
Eli Takalo led with 17 points, followed by
Timber Engblom with 15. Dale Takalo was
held well below his scoring average but still
finished with 12, and Colton Weirup chipped
in 10.
“Eli had three threes, and they all came at
big times,” Spencer said. “Eli and Dale had
key baskets, and Joe Ramvick added a cou-
ple key scores. (The Knights) still made a run
in the fourth and got to within four, but Tim-
ber made a big and-one (three-point play) with
about two minutes left, and Dale did the rest at
the free throw line,” where he was 5-for-6 in
the fourth quarter.
The biggest shot — distance-wise —
belonged to Engblom, who drilled a half-court
shot to finish the first half, giving Knappa a
33-28 lead.
Playoff hopes alive for
Knappa girls after win
KNAPPA — The Knappa girls basketball
team capped the regular season Tuesday with
their third win, a 32-25 decision over Colum-
bia Christian in a Northwest League finale.
And while the Loggers are ranked 35th out
of 39 teams at the 2A level with a 3-19 record,
that should be good enough for a spot in the
Northwest League playoffs.
“Three wins — who would have guessed
that we could make the playoffs,” asked
Knappa coach Marie Green.
Yet if City Christian can defeat Columbia
Christian Thursday, Knappa will finish sixth
in the league standings, enough to make the
league playoffs. If Columbia Christian wins
Thursday, the Loggers and Knights would
have a tie-breaker playoff for sixth.
Knappa built a 17-8 halftime lead in Tues-
day’s win, only to see Columbia Christian rally
to tie the game at 19-19 in the fourth quarter.
But after a 2-for-12 performance at the free
throw line in the first half, the Loggers were
11-for-15 in the second half, and put the game
away with free throws.
“After (the Knights) tied it, I just told the
girls, ‘it’s a 0-0 game for six minutes.’ And
they responded and did what they needed to
do,” Green said.
Paris Vanderburg highlighted the finish by
going 7-of-8 at the line in the final period to
finish with 11 points, six steals, five rebounds
and three assists.
Aiko Miller added eight points, eight
boards and five steals.
Knappa’s first-round playoff game will
likely be at either Gaston or Neah-Kah-Nie.
By GARY HENLEY
The Daily Astorian
SEASIDE — With Banks
holding down the top spot in Cow-
apa League girls basketball at 7-0,
the Astoria Lady Fishermen may
have to focus on catching Valley
Catholic for second place.
And Astoria moved one game
closer to the Valiants Tuesday
night. Coupled with Banks’ win
over Valley Catholic, the Lady
Fishermen are now just one game
out of second place in the Cow-
apa, following a 56-41 victory at
Seaside.
The Clatsop Clash rivals came
into the contest with identical 3-3
league records. And they were
fairly even on the court over the
first few minutes, with Astoria
holding a 6-5 lead.
That’s where the Fishermen
took flight, scoring the next 19
points for a 25-5 lead midway
through the second quarter.
While Astoria was knock-
ing down 3-pointers (two by
Sam Hemsley, a third by Hailey
O’Brien), the Gulls were strug-
gling with turnovers.
Seaside had 12 turnovers
during the same 19-0 run by Asto-
ria, and finished the first half with
20 turnovers.
The Fishermen held a 29-9
halftime lead, and kept the lead at
20 points with three more 3-point-
ers in the third quarter, from Julia
Norris, McKailyn Rogers and
Hemsley.
Hemsley poured in 21 points to
lead all scorers, while Bryre Bab-
bitt and Annaka Garhofer scored
seven apiece for Seaside.
Washington welcomes home
Georgia transfer QB Eason
Associated Press
SEATTLE — Washington announced
former Georgia quarterback Jacob Eason
is transferring to the Huskies.
Eason was a five-star recruit from
Lake Stevens High School near Seat-
tle. He signed with Georgia in 2016 and
started as a freshman, but injured his
knee in last season’s opener and never
could regain his starting job from fresh-
man Jake Fromm. Georgia went to the
national title game with Fromm and
soon after Eason said he was transfer-
ring back home.
The day before signing day in col-
lege football, Washington made it offi-
cial with a tweet. Eason passed for 2,458
yards and 16 touchdowns with eight
interceptions in 16 games for Georgia.
He will have sit out this season
to fulfil NCAA requirements, but he
would be on target to replace senior Jake
Browning in 2019.
Knappa 64, Columbia 58
Columbia
14 14 10 20—58
Knappa
12 21 15 16—64
CC (58): Dominic Blake 18, Gregg 14,
Mariscal 10, Hartman 9, Johnson 6, Bish-
op 1.
KNA (64): Eli Takalo 17, Engblom 15, D.
Takalo 12, Colton Weirup 10, Ramvick 6,
Miller 4.
AST (56): Sam Hemsley 21, Norris 9,
O’Brien 8, Hankwitz 6, Rogers 3, Long 3,
Cummings 2, Fausett 2, Jackson 2, Helm-
ersen.
SEA (41): Bryre Babbitt 7, Annaka Gar-
hofer 7, Davis 6, Smart 6, Kiser 5, Zagata 5,
Ideue 3, Angulo-Joli 2.
SCOREBOARD
PREP SPORTS SCHEDULE
TODAY
Boys basketball — De La Salle at War-
renton, 6 p.m.
Girls basketball — De La Salle at War-
renton, 7:45 p.m.
THURSDAY
Girls basketball — Jewell at Willamette
Valley Christian, 6 p.m.
Boys basketball — Knappa at Life Chris-
tian, 7:45 p.m.; Jewell at Willamette Valley
Christian, 7:30 p.m.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Seaside 59, Astoria 34
Astoria
15 6 4 9—34
Seaside
18 13 11 17—59
AST (34): Karsten Johnson 14, Hunt 12,
Brockman 4, Stenblom 2, Olson 2, Long,
Tice, Kee, Matlock, Marincovich, P.Johnson,
Palmberg.
SEA (59): Ryan Hague 12, Januik 10,
Thompson 9, Westerholm 8, Be.Johnson
8, Sibony 6, Carter 2, Meyer 2, Ritterby 2,
Landwehr.
Crosshill 75, Jewell 33
Jewell
9 6 10 8—33
Crosshill
22 10 24 19—75
JWL (33): Ben Stahly 18, R.Kane 6,
N.Kane 3, Lilley 2, Nelson 2, Lyons 2, Chro-
nister, Berg, Meehan.
CC (75): Andrew Stoddard 13, Cotter
11, Towers 10, Dallum 10, T.Vanderhoof
8, K.Vanderhoof 8, Poliakov 7, DeJager 5,
Knox 3.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Astoria 56, Seaside 41
Astoria
10 19 17 10—56
Seaside
5 4 17 15—41
Knappa 32, Columbia 25
Columbia
4 4 6 11—25
Knappa
6 11 2 13—32
CC (25): Delilah Carter 15, Martes 5, Skel-
ton 4, Davis 1.
KNA (32): Paris Vanderburg 11, Miller 8,
Weaver 4, Tischer 4, Carlson 2, Inman 2,
Taggart 1, Hendrickson, Corcoran, Ram-
vick.
Crosshill 23, Jewell 16
Jewell
0 0 8 8—16
Crosshill
3 6 8 6—23
JWL (16): Gabi Morales 7, Guillen 6,
Kaczenski 3, N.Morales, Olvera, Meier, De-
Wees, Shaw, Haddock, Norman.
CC (23): Abby Bartel 12, M.Bartel 6,
Schanz 2, Hemelstrand 2, Slagle 1.
Crosshill Christian
tops Jewell girls
TURNER — The Jewell girls
basketball team did not score a sin-
gle point in the first half of Tues-
day’s game at Crosshill Christian
— yet the Lady Jays still were not
out of the game, trailing just 9-0 at
the break.
In the end, Jewell could not
catch the Eagles, who posted a
23-16 win over the Jays in a Casco
League contest.
Gabi Morales scored seven
points with four steals to lead Jew-
ell. Emma Guillen added six points
and six rebounds.
Jewell has one regular season
game remaining, Thursday at Wil-
lamette Valley Christian. However,
Jewell has clinched third place in
the league standings, and will face
Crosshill again in a league playoff.
The winner will play Perrydale for
the No. 1 seed to the state playoffs.
Jewell boys fall at
Crosshill Christian
TURNER — Crosshill Chris-
tian’s Andrew Stoddard scored 13
points to lead four players in dou-
ble figures, helping the Eagles fly
past the Jewell Blue Jays 75-33 in
a Casco League boys basketball
game Tuesday.
Ben Stahly scored 18 points
with seven rebounds to lead Jewell.
— The Daily Astorian