SPU-bound Shaw Anderson scores 29 points, leads Kelso past Lincoln

Shaw Anderson is getting used to Tacoma.

The Kelso High School forward, who signed with Greater Northwest Athletic Conference power Seattle Pacific in November, capped a two-day trip north with a game-high 26 points Friday night, as the Hilanders downed Lincoln, 72-62.

Kelso (9-1) swept its opponents at the Bellarmine Prep Holiday Classic, topping the Lions a day earlier, led by Anderson’s game-high 26 points.

“We knew both of these games would be very intense, and they meant a lot,” Anderson said. “You could tell by the (atmosphere in) the gym. We did a good job preparing for that.”

Anderson added six rebounds, four blocks and three steals in Kelso’s win over the Abes, who lost their second game in as many days after opening the season with seven consecutive wins.

In many ways, Kelso’s victory mirrored last season’s Class 3A West Central/Southwest bidistrict title game, when the Hilanders handed Lincoln their first loss of the season at Puyallup High School. Anderson led all scorers in that game, too, with 18 points.

Kelso eventually went on to take sixth in the 3A tournament in the Tacoma Dome, losing to Timberline — which featured current Wichita State freshman Erik Stevenson — in its trophy game.

“The chemistry is exactly the same,” Anderson said. “It’s just a Kelso thing. We all love each other, and we all want the best for the team, and that’s what you see when we play.”

Lincoln (7-2) led briefly in the second quarter, but Kelso was in front most of the way, and took the lead back for good on a free throw with 48.1 seconds left in the first half. The Hilanders finished 23 of 41 shooting (56.1 percent) from the floor, and knocked down 22 free throws on 34 attempts.

The Abes kept within striking distance until late in the fourth quarter, but Kelso hit nine of its 11 free throw attempts in the final two minutes to keep the lead hovering around double digits.

“They’re really well-coached, and they run their stuff, and they’re not going to make a lot of mistakes,” Lincoln coach Ryan Rogers said. “It was kind of a game of who was going to make the least amount of mistakes, and hats off to them. They did what they were supposed to do, and we didn’t, so they deserved to win.”

Lincoln’s scrappy effort on defense, which caused 15 turnovers, did enough to help the Abes — who shot 24 of 58 (41.4 percent) from the floor — hang around for most of the contest.

But, Anderson and Riley Noah, who added 20 points for the Hilanders, combined for 18 points in the final quarter to help Kelso pull away.

“It just comes from me and Riley having that leadership,” Anderson said. “We prepare ourselves very well. Our coach prepares us very well.”

Jayden Simon led the Abes with 18 points and eight rebounds after finishing with a double-double (15 points, 11 rebounds) in a loss to Union on Thursday.

“He has a size that we haven’t really had in the past,” Rogers said of Simon, who was a two-way lineman for Lincoln’s football team, and has multiple Division I football offers. “He’s a big kid, he can move well, and he plays hard. He competes every day, and he wants to win.”

Kashaud Babbs added 15 points for Lincoln. Julien Simon, the Abes’ leading scorer this season, was limited to nine points.

Rogers said the Abes will look to embrace a “new year, new start” mentality when they resume 3A Pierce County League play next week, after dropping back-to-back games for the first time since 2016 in the Tacoma Dome.

“We just have to be able to focus on the little things, and get better at the little things, because little things add up to big things,” Rogers said.

Union 72, Bellarmine Prep 54: The Titans (11-0) also completed their sweep of northern opponents — and remained undefeated — on the final day of the Lions’ holiday classic Friday.

Union’s Tanner Toolson led all scorers with 31 points, and nailed four 3-pointers, while Houston Combs pitched in 10 points for the Titans.

Charles Elzie paced Bellarmine (1-9) with 29 points, including four 3-pointers.

TEAM STATISTICS

K – Shooting: 23 of 41 (56.1 percent). Free throws: 22 of 34 (64.7). Turnovers: 15.

L – Shooting: 24 of 58 (41.4 percent). Free throws: 11 of 15 (73.3). Turnovers: 8.

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

K – Josh Webb 8, Riley Noah 20, Jayden Hardeman 9, Drew Tack 6, Shaw Anderson 29.

L – Reggie Archibald 4, Kashaud Babbs 15, Earnest Yearby 2, Chris Whitford 8, Isaiah Lenard 4, Ezra Nightingale 2, Julien Simon 9, Jayden Simon 18.

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

U – Brad Lackey 7, Houston Combs 10, Ariya Briscoe 2, Tanner Toolson 31, Alishawaun Taylor 4, Ethan Smith 9, Mason Hill 2, Ty McCullum 3, Curtis Youngren 4.

BP – Derrion Summers 3, Charles Elzie 29, Tommy Hanly 9, Sean Smith 2, James Monroe 2, Wendell Davis 6, Luke Meines 3.

This story was originally published December 29, 2018 at 12:29 AM.