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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2018
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Gary Henley | Sports Reporter
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SPORTS
IN BRIEF
Semiahmoo holds
off Astoria, 63-54
It was “International Night” at
the Brick House, where the Asto-
ria boys basketball team hosted
the Semiahmoo Totems, a tour-
ing high school team from Surrey,
British Columbia.
And the Canadians built an
early lead and managed to hold off
the Fishermen, 63-54, in the non-
league contest.
Semiahmoo “was very tough,
long and athletic,” said Astoria
coach Kevin Goin. “But I was still
pleased with how we did. We han-
dled their press well — we just
didn’t finish enough on the back
end.
“We came back in the second
half and cut it to three a couple
times in the third and fourth quar-
ters, but they seemed to have an
answer every time.”
Astoria had three players com-
bine for 45 points, as Isaac Brock-
man poured in a team-high 17
points, with scoring help from Ian
Hunt (16 points) and Josh Olson
(12).
Ryan Stenblom was still
inactive for the Fishermen, but
Michael Moore was back in the
lineup for Astoria. Thirteen play-
ers saw action for the Fishermen,
who defeated Semiahmoo two
years ago, 50-42.
Semiahmoo had four players
in double figures, led by Dennis
Alizadeh with 17 points. Brothers
Damian and Dominic Calderon
scored 10 points apiece.
The Fishermen return to action
tonight, with a nonleague game at
Scappoose.
Warriors top
Seaside JV, 54-30
WARRENTON — Warrenton
took a break from varsity competi-
tion, and hosted the Seaside junior
varsity team Wednesday night in a
nonleague boys basketball game
at Warrenton.
Dalton Knight scored 20
points, and the Warriors led 25-12
at halftime on their way to a 54-30
win over the JV Gulls.
“We did some real good things
in the first quarter and played
very solid defense,” said Warren-
ton coach Nate McBride. “Kale’o
Kapua got us started with six
points in the first quarter. The Sea-
side kids played real hard and bat-
tled, keeping it close at half. Our
kids came out in the third quarter
and executed real well to put a lit-
tle distance on the scoreboard.”
Perrydale
sweeps Jewell in
Casco twinbill
PERRYDALE — Perrydale
swept Jewell in a Casco League
basketball doubleheader Thursday
night at Perrydale.
Perrydale scored a 60-26
win over the Lady Jays in the
girls’ game, and the Pirates com-
pleted the sweep as Perrydale
defeated Jewell in the boys’ game,
62-25.
— The Daily Astorian
Lillard and
Layman lead
Blazers to 108-86
win over the Suns
Associated Press
PORTLAND — Jake Layman
hadn’t played in Portland’s last
five games, so he wanted to make
the best of it when he did get his
chance.
Layman came off the bench to
score a career-high 24 points and
the Trail Blazers snapped a three-
game losing streak with a 108-
86 rout of the Phoenix Suns on
Thursday night.
Layman, who scored 15 points
in just under six minutes in the
first quarter, started earlier this
season but had not played since
Maurice Harkless returned from
a knee injury to the starting
lineup.
Astoria’s Austin Varner, following his junior drag racing championship.
Astoria’s Varner completes
Junior drag racing series
The Daily Astorian
W
OODBURN — Astoria’s
Austin Varner recently com-
pleted his ninth and final sea-
son of racing Junior Dragsters
at Woodburn Dragstrip, and the senior took
his second Junior Lightning track cham-
pionship with 140 points and 11 rounds
of racing between himself and his closest
competition.
Varner also finished second in the
high school series, racing his father’s 1954
Ford.
In September, Varner secured a spot on
Team Woodburn, in Junior Dragsters and
high school, to race in the National Hot Rod
Association (NHRA) Summit Racing equip-
ment division 6 E.T. finals at Firebird Race-
way in Boise, Idaho.
Competing against the best of the best
drag racers in the Northwest in the Junior
Dragster, Varner came in second in the Race
of Champions.
Returning back to Woodburn for the
Fall Classic race, Varner earned his sec-
ond “Wally,” winning the NHRA all-Access
Challenge Junior Lightning Championship.
The drag racing car driven by Astoria’s Austin Varner.
The Wally is the most sought-after trophy and
is named after NHRA’s founder, Wally Parks.
In 2019, Varner will continue to race his
dad’s Ford in the high school series at Wood-
burn. He is sponsored by Action Sign Works,
Jeremy Linder and Ag-Bag, Clatsop Power
Equipment, and Jim Varner’s Automotive.
Austin Varner, racing
his dad’s 1954 Ford.
Playoff stakes high as Vikings travel to Seahawks
PREP SPORTS SCHEDULE
By TIM BOOTH
Associated Press
SEATTLE — With where both the
Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Sea-
hawks sit in the NFC standings, Mon-
day night’s matchup might as well
carry a playoff title.
NFC play-in game? NFC elimina-
tion game?
“I think going on the road with
that crowd and the type of football
team that they are, I think yeah, a lit-
tle bit. These next four games will
determine what we do and where we
go and how we perform in the clutch.
Yeah, I guess you could say that,”
Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said.
The Seahawks (7-5) host the
Vikings (6-5-1) in a meeting filled
with playoff implications. The Sea-
hawks won’t be able to catch the Los
Angeles Rams in the NFC West, but
their three-game win streak has them
sitting in the No. 5 spot in the NFC
playoff picture going into the final
quarter of the season, with three of
their final four games at home.
It’s far from a foregone conclusion
Seattle is headed to the postseason
after missing the playoffs last year.
But a win over the Vikings would be
a huge step in locking up a postsea-
son berth.
“Keeping your head down and
grinding is really what it’s all about
at this point,” Seattle coach Pete Car-
roll said. “We’re upbeat and we’re
positive. We know that we can win
every game and we’re going out to
SCOREBOARD
AP Photo/Mike McCarn
Seattle Seahawks’ Russell Wilson looks to pass against the Carolina
Panthers in Charlotte, N.C., earlier this season.
UP NEXT: SEAHAWKS
• Minnesota Vikings (6-5-1)
at Seattle Seahawks (7-5)
• Monday, 5:15 p.m. TV: ESPN
get that done.”
If the Vikings want a chance at
catching Chicago in the NFC North
race, a win in Seattle is almost a must.
Far easier said than done, especially
when it comes to night games. Seat-
tle is 15-2 at home in Thursday, Sun-
day or Monday night games dating to
Carroll’s arrival in 2010.
Minnesota is currently in the No. 6
spot in the NFC and its tie earlier this
season against Green Bay could end
up being a hindrance — or a benefit.
The Vikings are a half-game ahead of
Philadelphia, Washington and Caro-
lina entering the week.
“It’s big. It’s very big. It’s a road
game. We want to go out there and
put a full game together as a whole
team on the road,” Vikings RB Dal-
vin Cook said. “This is another game
to go out there and do that to show
that we’re still in this thing. We’re
still fighting. We’ve got to just put it
together.”
TODAY
Girls basketball — Astoria at Scap-
poose, 7 p.m.; Seaside at Philomath
Tournament, TBA; Warrenton at Neah-
Kah-Nie, 6 p.m.; Jewell at SW Christian
Challenge, TBA
Boys basketball — Astoria at Scap-
poose, 5:30 p.m.; Seaside at Marshfield,
7 p.m.; Warrenton at Neah-Kah-Nie, 7:30
p.m.; Jewell at SW Christian Challenge,
TBA; Ilwaco at NW Christian, 5:45 p.m.
SATURDAY
Girls basketball — Seaside at Philo-
math Tournament, TBA; Santiam Chris-
tian vs. Warrenton (at Clatsop CC), 6 p.m.;
Knappa at Portland Adventist, 7:30 p.m.;
Jewell at SW Christian Challenge, TBA
Boys basketball — Seaside at Marist
Catholic, 5 p.m.; Warrenton at Vernonia,
6 p.m.; Jewell at SW Christian Chal-
lenge, TBA
Swimming — Astoria Andrew
Nygaard Invite, Noon
Wrestling — Warrenton Invitational,
10 a.m.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Semiahmoo 63, Astoria 54
Semiahmoo
15 12 21 15—63
Astoria
7 13 18 16—54
SEM (63): Dennis Alizadeh 17, Janzen
14, Dam.Calderon 10, Dom.Calderon
10, Bhullar 4, Saqib 4, Baker 3, Clarke,
Dhillon, Cao.
AST (54): Isaac Brockman 17, Hunt 16,
Olson 12, Long 5, Marincovich 2, Soder-
strom 2, Samuelson, Moore, Ploghoft, Mat-
lock, Junes, Johnson, Altheide-Nielson.
Warrenton 54, Seaside 30
Seaside
4 8 2 16—30
Warrenton
15 10 20 9—54
WAR (54): Dalton Knight 20, Stephens
10, Little 7, Kapua 6, Maddox 4, Green 3,
Jackson 2, Schenbeck 2, Morrow, Breit-
meyer, Falls, Bodden.
SEA (30): Stephen Snyder 11, Rich 7,
Sibony 5, Carson 3, Turner 2, Bennett 2.