Battle Ground boys, Hudson’s Bay girls lose in Tacoma Dome
The Skyview Storm got defensive Wednesday afternoon, and that means they get to play Thursday afternoon.
Skyview held West Valley of Yakima to 31 points less than its average on the season, rolling to a 47-31 victory in a round-of-12 elimination game in the Class 4A state boys basketball tournament at the Tacoma Dome.
Jace Chatman scored 22 points, and Kyle Gruhler added 10 points for the Storm.
The defense playing as well as that, that’s all Skyview needed.
“We just did a really good job of taking them out of what they wanted to do,” Skyview coach Matt Gruhler said. “Overall, our defense had a game plan, and that game plan worked pretty well.”
West Valley went 0 for 12 from 3-point range. Coach Gruhler said most of those shots were contested. Still, it’s rare for a team to go “oh-fer.”
“Any time a team doesn’t make a 3, it’s going to make us look a lot better on defense,” he said.
West Valley came into the dome averaging 62 points a game.
Skyview improved to 19-9 and will play Central Valley at 3:45 p.m. Thursday in the quarterfinals.
After a slow start for both teams, Skyview took command against West Valley with a 16-4 second quarter for a 12-point halftime lead.
Chatman ended up 4 for 6 from 3-point range. He also had five rebounds, three assists, and a couple of steals.
“He did a good job picking his spots,” the coach said. “Overally, he played a pretty complete game. That’s what he does. It’s what he’s done all year. He’s a scorer. He can move the ball, do the little things. He keeps getting better. That’s good news for us.”
The Storm are assured of at least two more games. They want three, of course.
“We’re proud of our guys,” the coach said. “They’ve worked their tails off. They have bought in to play for each other. They keep making plays when they need to. That’s always a nice thing for a coach.”
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Also in Tacoma in the afternoon/evening, the Hudson’s Bay girls and Battle Ground boys saw their seasons come to an end.
Federal Way 78, Battle Ground 57: The Battle Ground Tigers were in it for a quarter. Then it was all Federal Way the rest of the way in a round-of-12 elimination game in the Class 4A boys basketball state tournament.
Battle Ground’s season comes to an end with a 15-11 record, a schedule that included 17 teams that reached the state tournaments in Washington and Oregon.
Kaden Perry had another monster night for the Tigers, with 26 points, 16 rebounds, and three blocked shots. Brendan Beal added 13 points.
Lake Washington 57, Hudson’s Bay 40: The Hudson’s Bay Eagles made it to the dome, got one more step on the ladder this year than last year, and surely are looking forward to next season.
Oh, they would have preferred to stick around Tacoma for a couple more days, but Lake Washington was too strong on this day.
Ellie Pederson led a balanced attack with 14 points, and Lake Washington outscored the Eagles by 16 points in the middle quarters to advance to the Class 3A girls quarterfinals.
Lake Washington went 8 for 18 from 3-point range, while the Eagles struggled in the dome, going 1 for 12 from long range.
Paytin Ballard led the Eagles with 13 points and nine rebounds. Mahaila Harrison added 10 points. Jaydia Martin had five steals.
Hudson’s Bay finished the season with a 20-8 record.
