SK romps through Canada

With a Narrows League Bridge Division showdown with Gig Harbor looming, the South Kitsap boys’ basketball team used some of its time over the holiday break to head up north and, well, beat up on some Canadian teams.

That’s not what the Wolves were looking to do by taking part in the Victoria Prep Invitational, played last week on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, but that was the outcome as South downed a pair of Canadian teams by a combined score of 198-113.

“We had a fun time. It was OK,” South coach John Callaghan said. “It was what it was.”

The Wolves, now 6-0 on the year, had little trouble dismantling either team it played, taking down Dover Bay 92-68 on Dec. 27 and following that up with a 106-45 win over Belmont.

Senior post Josh Monagle scored 21 points and pulled down 11 rebounds in the win over Dover Bay. Seniors Evan Atwater and Tysaiah Curry came off the bench to score 13 and 16 points, respectively, while L.P. Neloms added 12.

Dover Bay actually held the lead after the first quarter but couldn’t stay with the speedy Wolves after that.

Against Belmont on Dec. 28, Neloms scored a game-high 21 points while Monagle netted 19, Atwater 16, Conner Gehring 11 with Dan Nelson adding 10.

Callaghan said that while the starters played well, he was particularly happy to see his bench players not only get a lot of playing time, but producing as well.

Atwater and Curry looked especially good, he said, while players like Nelson, Kris Carlson, Gibson Davis and Jared Privatt saw plenty of quality minutes.

“It was nice that our young guys got some playing time, and they looked comfortable out there,” Callaghan said. “Of course, we would have liked some tougher games, but that just didn’t happen.”

While the competition may not have been up to snuff, some of the rule changes made for interesting moments. The teams played 40-minute games instead of 32 and had a 30-second shot clock, which helped up the final scores.

Callaghan said the team came away from the experience knowing it needs to work on its half-court offense. He said they learned a few things they will have to do the rest of the year to be successful.

And now that the break is over, with school back in session as of yesterday, the first big showdown of the year comes tonight when Gig Harbor, 6-1 overall and 2-0 in Bridge Division play, comes to town sporting a tall and talented lineup that includes Ryan Christensen (6-8), Clarence Trent (6-7), Mathias Ward (6-6), Geoff McIntosh (6-4), Drew Hammond (6-2) and T.J. Nettles (6-0).

After seeing a few Gig Harbor games on tape, Callaghan said it will be a tough test in stopping the Tides’ half-court offense. It’s one that’s similar to the offense that South used when 6-8 Jake Beitinger and 6-7 Adam Bennett played in Port Orchard two seasons ago, making the tempo of the game very important.

“If we let them waltz up and down the floor and just toss it inside on us,” Callaghan said, “it’s going to be ugly.”

Junior varsity and C team games get under way at 5:30 p.m. in the SK gym with the main event scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip.

South Kitsap 92, Dover Bay 68

Score by quarters

South Kitsap 17 24 32 19 – 92

Dover Bay 20 14 19 15 – 68

South Kitsap - Jared Privatt, Conner Gehring 6, Gibson Davies 2, Tippy Burk 7, Tysaiah Curry 16, L.P. Neloms 12, Evan Atwater 13, Dan Nelson 4, Kris Carlson 4, Josh Monagle 21, Joe Pisa 7.

Dover Bay - T.Gilleys 12, Germyn 5, Corcoran 8, G.Gilleys 11, McCarthy 10, Kaban 21.

South Kitsap 106, Belmont 45

Score by quarters

South Kitsap 20 35 29 22 – 106

Belmont 7 13 15 10 – 45

South Kitsap 106 – Privatt 2, Gehring 11, Davies, Burk 7, Curry 6, Neloms 21, Atwater 16, Nelson 10, Carlson 8, Monagle 19, Pisa 6.

Belmont – Duplessis 3, Vigier 2, St. Paul 12, Parten 5, Vanderwereld 11, Henwood 7, James 5

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