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Email this page to a friend Related Stories2002-2003Stories about Friday Harbor Boys Basketball games ROSTER10/11 12/13 14/15 20/21 22/23 24/25 30/31 32/33 34/35 40/41 42/43 44/45 50/51 50/51 54 Coach Volunteer assistant coaches |
'Relentless' Wolverines bound for Tri-District TourneyStory and photos by Matt Pranger posted 02/12/04
"No matter what went against them, they kept playing and didn't quit," said Friday Harbor coach Rod Turnbull. The Wolverines started their conference closer down 16-2. They clinched the league's No. 2 berth to the Class A Tri-District Tournament through careful ball-handling, stifling defense and sharp free-throw shooting. "It's just heart-warming, just to know we came back from a 14-point deficit in the first quarter," said senior center Danny Herbert, a key defender and rebounder in win. "It just exemplifies that our team is ready.... We're relentless on the court. No matter what the deficit, we know we're not going to give up." "It was a big team win for us," said senior guard Sean Anderson. "The whole team got involved and got us going." "Even though we were down at times, we were able to pull through as a team," said senior forward Danny Cumming. Cumming provided much of Friday Harbor's offense after its slow start. He came off the bench early and scored 10 points in the first half. Cumming sank five of six free-throw attempts in the fourth quarter to finish as Friday Harbor's high scorer with 15. David Stephens fueled the Braves' quick start with three-point lasers. He finished with four treys and 15 total points. La Conner led 16-6 at the end of the first quarter but Friday Harbor closed the gap 27-23 at the half. La Conner spurted ahead by as much as eight points in the third quarter but the Braves couldn't squash Wolverines rally.
With about four and a half minutes left, Cumming hit two free throws to put the Wolverines up 39-38. La Conner sank two free throws before Tyler Roberts drilled two for the the Wolverines. "Tyler had a tough night but the two free throws he made we're crucial," Turnbull said of the junior who scored 5 in the game. Sean Anderson stole the ensuing inbound pass, shot, missed, grabbed the rebound and put the ball back up. The shot dropped and a Brave was whistled for a foul. Anderson, who finished with 14 points, drained the free-throw and the Wolverines led 44-40 with 2:22 to go. "Sean had a great game," Turnbull said. La Conner added a point but senior guard Nik Grah, who had missed four free throws in the third quarter, made two free throws in the clutch. Those points put the Wolverines up 46-41 with 1:21 remaining. | ||
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The Braves fouled to get the ball back but the Wolverines posted one of their best free-throw shooting displays of the season. Friday Harbor made 16 of 18 free-throw attempts in the fourth quarter --88 percent -- and was 22 of 29 -- 75 percent -- for the game. "We made a really good comeback," said senior forward Matt Cowell who went to the bench with a banged knee 10 seconds into the game and sat out the first period and part of the second. "I was a little angry about being hurt... but some other guys came through and we stuck with it." Cowell played through the injury, scoring 11 points. Grah chipped in 4. Senior post player Brady Ryan and sophomore center Chad Stoddard scored 2 apiece. "It feels good," Ryan said. "Two years in a row we've closed out with a win against La Conner." Last season the Braves entered the league closer with an unblemished conference record. Friday Harbor fans who filled the bleachers behind the Wolverine players were seen, heard and appreciated. "The fans that made the trip made it feels like we were playing for the home crowd," Cumming said. "Thanks to the fans," Grah said. "They helped us get through the tough times. It was helpful looking up and seeing friendly faces at an away game." "We're pretty excited, overwhelmed that we're going to district," Anderson said. The Wolverines, 7-3 in league, open the double-elimination tourney against the No. 2 Chinook League team (King's or Bellevue Christian) at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 19 in Lynnwood High School. Win or lose, Friday Harbor plays again Saturday, Feb. 21 at Mountlake Terrace High School. "Hopefully we'll have some more after that," Turnbull said. Six of the eight Tri-District teams advance to the Class A State Tournament in Yakima. "We have all the momentum going upward," Anderson said of the Wolverines who swept the league in the second half. "We need one win to go to state."
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Wolverines boys storm back
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