Class 2A boys tournament: Nooksack stops Hoquiam streak

YAKIMA — Kyle Vermeulen scored 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting to lead No. 2-ranked Nooksack Valley over top-ranked Hoquiam 59-40 last night in the quarterfinals of the Class 2A boys state basketball tournament at the Yakima Valley SunDome.

Nooksack (23-1), whose only loss this season is to Whatcom County rival Lynden Christian, plays in tonight's late semifinal against unranked Chewelah (18-8).

The other semifinal, starting at 5:30 p.m., pits Cashmere (18-7) vs. third-ranked Pullman (22-3).

Phil Silves added 10 points and 10 assists for the Nooksack Valley (23-1), which took control with a 22-11 third-quarter run.

Vermeulen made 5-of-8 shots in the second half and scored all 10 of his second-half points in the third quarter as Hoquiam (24-1) sustained its first loss of the season.

Nooksack Valley shot 56 percent (14-of-25) in the second half, while the Grizzlies made just 33 percent (7-of-21).

Justin Reed scored 15 points and David Brittinen had 11 for Hoquiam.

Other quarterfinals

Cashmere 48, Connell 44 — Mac Ovenell's layup with 1:41 to play put Cashmere ahead to stay as the Bulldogs (18-7) beat Connell (13-13) in a quarterfinal game.

Curtis Thibault added three free throws down the stretch to seal the win for Cashmere. Kent Fletcher led the Bulldogs with 12 points.

Connell, which led by 12 points in the first half, missed two shots in the final 1:41. Kase Wells led the Eagles with 18 points while Steven Dorman added 11.

Pullman 67, Ilwaco 37 — Fred Peete had 26 points, eight rebounds, four assists and five steals to lead third-ranked Pullman (22-3) past Ilwaco (16-9) in a quarterfinal game.

Ben Haynes scored 12 points for the Greyhounds, who used a 23-7 run in the second quarter and a 22-8 burst in the third.

Andy Hudkins led Ilwaco with 17 points and nine rebounds. Kyle Kaino had 12 points.

Chewelah 66, Lakeside (Nine Mile Falls) 51 — Andy Belzer scored 21 points, Matt Hagen added 15 and Clint Hagen and Ryan Feist had 12 each as unranked Chewelah (18-8) upset fourth-ranked Lakeside (20-4) in a quarterfinal game. It was the fourth meeting of the season between the Great Northern League rivals, and Chewelah's first win.

Chewelah led 30-26 at halftime and pulled away with a 26-15 run in the third quarter. Matt Hagen scored 13 points in the second half while Belzer added 12 as the Cougars shot 66.7 percent (12-of-18) after the break.

Greg Smith led Lakeside with 15 points. Garrett Schultz added 12.

Loser-out games

Lynden Christian 58, Meridian 55 — Greg Burgers sank a three-pointer with 17 seconds to play, and Mark Holleman iced the game with two free throws as Lynden Christian (15-10) rallied to eliminate Meridian (12-13).

Holleman scored a team-high 15 points, including nine in the fourth quarter when LC outscored the Trojans 24-14. A.J. Hoekema and Kevin Kooy added 13 points each.

The Lyncs trailed by nine early in the fourth quarter before rallying. Meridian, which led the majority of the game, didn't get off a final shot.

William Wentz led the Trojans with 15 points, Jonathan Mark had 14 and Jordan Slesk 13. Wantz also had a game-high 12 rebounds.

Steilacoom 70, Ridgefield 39 — Ryan Reynolds scored 12 points and Brett Wusterbarth added 11 as Steilacoom (22-6) ousted Ridgefield (19-6).

Steilacoom pulled out to a 31-19 halftime lead and put the game out of reach with a 20-8 run in the third quarter.

Pat Lynch and Derek Schluter each pulled down eight rebounds for Steilacoom. Wusterbarth had four assists and two steals as the Sentinels forced Ridgefield into 23 turnovers.

Chris Rauch led the Spudders with 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Othello 71, Chimacum 57 — Chad Davis scored 18 points as Othello (16-10) eliminated Chimacum (14-15).

Davis made 5 of 6 shots, including 2-of-3 three-point tries. He also dished out 10 assists. Teammate Derek Cutforth added 17 points, six rebounds, five steals, two assists and a blocked shot, and Matt Coffman had 15 points.

Robbie Andrus and Marcus Moug led the Cowboys with 14 points each.

Kiona-Benton 66, La Center 47 — Rick Rose had 23 points and 10 rebounds while Brett Harding scored 18 points as Kiona-Benton (17-8) ousted La Center (16-9).

Kiona-Benton outrebounded the Wildcats 41-25.

Josh Williamson had 21 points, 14 rebounds, six blocked shots and three steals for La Center.