OLYMPIA — There was more on the minds of the Olympia Bears than simply playing a basketball game.
The Bears’ focus and emotions during Friday’s 4A Narrows League boys game with league co-leader Bellarmine Prep was shifted toward Todd McDougall. A standing room-only crowd packed Chick Rockey Gymnasium in support of “Light Blue-out Night” for McDougall, an English teacher and baseball coach who was diagnosed with malignant brain tumor last month.
Bellarmine Prep, despite an emotionally charged Bears team that desperately wanted to win for McDougall, pulled away in the final minutes for a 43-33 victory over Olympia.
The Lions (5-7 overall, 4-1 league) relied heavily on their outside shooting, led by Isaiah Flynn’s game-high 12 points on 6-for-13 shooting. Sefo Liufau had 11 points, and Gonzaga signee Lucas Meikle was held to one field goal and seven points.
The loss is the Bears’ third straight and drops them into fifth place at 2-3 in Narrows play and 8-3 overall.
In support of their teacher, Olympia fans donned specialized light blue McDougall T-shirts and took part in a brief ceremony between the first and second quarters. Football coach Bill Beattie read a statement prepared by McDougall’s family, thanking community members for their outpouring of support.
Although McDougall was not in attendance, members of his family were, including his three children – daughter Marlee, 11, and 9-year-old twin sons Andrew and Dylan.
Senior Michael Champlin called the game “extra special.”
“We were all out here for him,” Champlin said. “He’s going through a lot right now, and we all know him and care about him.”
Champlin and fellow senior Michael Naipo led the Bears with nine points apiece.
In a defensive battle with both teams playing zone, Bellarmine had a 16-14 lead at halftime. The Lions limited Olympia to one field goal in the third quarter until Brendan Leonard’s 3-pointer inside 2 minutes and a buzzer-beating 3-point play pulled the Bears back to 26-22 heading into the fourth.
Leading 29-26 following a bucket inside by Champlin, Bellarmine went on a run to bump its lead to 36-27 after Mar’kese Jackson’s lay-in with 1:44 left in the game.
The 33 points by Olympia is a season low.
Coach Luke Salme called the loss “brutal.”
“They were extremely disciplined and got the shot that they wanted as long as it took,” Salme said. “We were tentative and timid, and a chunk of that is we haven’t shot the ball well in the past four games.”
“I can see a team with three league losses in the thick of things at the end of the year.”
Meg Wochnick: 360-754-5473
mwochnick@theolympian.com
theolympian.com/southsoundsports
@MegWochnick
JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here
We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.