Boys 2A tournament: Hoquiam, Nooksack clash in battle of 1-2

YAKIMA — David Brittinen scored on a putback with 1:04 to play and Othello couldn't take a final shot before the buzzer as top-ranked Hoquiam beat the Huskies 54-53 last night in the Class 2A boys state basketball tournament at the Yakima SunDome.

That sets up a blockbuster quarterfinal matchup tonight at 7:30 between unbeaten Hoquiam (24-0) and second-ranked Nooksack Valley (22-1), which had been ranked No. 1 most of the season until a Feb. 14 loss to Lynden Christian.

Nooksack beat Chimacum 70-52 in a first-round game yesterday.

Brittinen, who scored 18 points, followed Jeff Wayman's miss to give the Grizzlies (24-0) their final lead. After a timeout with 21 seconds left, Othello was unable to get the ball to a shooter before time expired.

Derek Cutforth led Othello (15-10) with 17 points and Severo Rodriguez had 13.

Other games

Connell 57, Lynden Christian 45 — Kase Wells scored 19 points and Steven Dorman added 16 as Connell (13-12) upended ninth-ranked Lynden Christian (14-10).

Both scored 10 points as the Eagles pulled out to a 28-16 halftime lead. The Lyncs, meanwhile, suffered a dismal shooting half, hitting just 8 of 32 shots.

Dorman also pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds as Connell outboarded the Lyncs 41-31.

A.J. Hoekema led Lynden Christian with 12 points and eight rebounds, and Nathan Kooi added 11 points and seven rebounds.

Cashmere 52, Meridian 39 — Jared Brandeberry scored 13 of his game-high 18 points in the second half as Cashmere (17-7) beat Meridian (12-12).

Kent Fletcher added 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds for Cashmere. Brandeberry had six rebounds, five assists and a steal.

William Wantz led Meridian with 10 points and Cameron Gilmore had 11 rebounds and six assists.

Pullman 70, Ridgefield 57 — Tavarius Payne scored a game-high 18 points to lead third-ranked Pullman (21-3) past eighth-ranked Ridgefield (19-5).

Payne hit 7 of 14 field goals and 4 of 5 free throws. He also pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds, blocked four shots and had two steals.

Jay Brossman and Fred Peete added 14 points each for the Greyhounds. Peete had 10 rebounds, five assists and four steals.

Jonny Peru led Ridgefield with 16 points and seven rebounds. Chris Rauch added 10 points, and Drew Bleth had 15, including a 4-for-4 effort from three-point range.

Ilwaco 50, Steilacoom 35 — Andy Hudkins scored a game-high 19 points and pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds as Ilwaco (16-8) upset sixth-ranked Steilacoom (21-6).

Ryan Cadwell added 12 points for the Fishermen, who shot 51.7 percent (15 for 29) from the field.

Steilacoom, meanwhile, was shut out in the first quarter to set a tournament record for fewest points in a quarter, breaking the previous mark of two that the Sentinels tied last year.

Brett Wusterbarth led the Sentinels with eight points. Michael Lewis had three rebounds.

Nooksack Valley 70, Chimacum 42 — Phil Silves scored 23 points to lead second-ranked Nooksack Valley (22-1) past Chimacum (14-14).

Silves made 9 of 17 shots. He also had 15 rebounds, three assists, four steals and a blocked shot.

The Pioneers shot 52 percent (16 of 31) in the second half, putting the game away with a 15-6 third-quarter run. Jason Heutink and Kyle Vermeulen each added 13 points.

Robbie Andrus scored 21 points for Chimacum but was held to six in the second half on 1-of-8 shooting. He also had seven rebounds.

Chewelah 50, Kiona-Benton 28 — Ryan Feist scored 13 points and Andy Belzer added 11 as Chewelah 117-8) raced past Kiona-Benton (16-8).

Chewelah rolled out to a 22-11 halftime lead and put the game away with a 15-8 run in the third quarter. The Cougars outrebounded Ki-Be 36-22. Andy Belzer and Bryce Curry had seven rebounds each. Stuart Allen and Brett Harding each scored six points for Kiona-Benton.

Lakeside (Nine Mile Falls) 66, La Center 51 — Greg Smith scored 27 points on 11-of-18 shooting as fourth-ranked Lakeside (20-3) beat La Center (16-8).

Jason Mortlock added 15 points and Jared Tikker 10 for the Eagles, who shot 50 percent (26 of 52) from the field. Smith made 3 of 5 three-pointers, and Mortlock converted 3 of 4. La Center's Josh Williamson led all scorers with 28 points on 12-of-12 shooting. Williamson and Casey Roach each pulled down seven rebounds.