Steilacoom holds Franklin Pierce to lowest scoring total of the season, hands Cardinals first loss

Behind a relentless defensive effort and two scorers in double figures, Steilacoom High School handed Franklin Pierce its first loss of the season Monday night in Tacoma, holding off a late Cardinals surge for a 56-46 win.

Chris Hines led the Sentinels (13-3) with a team-high 16 points, and added eight rebounds and three blocks.

Nehemiah Shird, who is committed to Utah State football as a preferred walk-on, recorded a double-double with 15 points and 11 steals, and added four assists and rebounds apiece.

Steilacoom was in control most of the way, consistently pressuring the Cardinals (15-0) on offense, and holding them to single-digit scoring in each of the first three periods.

Franklin Pierce turned in its lowest scoring total of the season by 19 points — the Cardinals were averaging 78.3 per game entering the contest.

The Sentinels led by as many as 25 points, and a late Franklin Pierce run in the fourth quarter — during which the Cardinals outscored Steilcaoom, 25-10 — wasn’t enough to erase the deficit.

Toney Brown completed a double-double for the Cardinals, scoring a game-high 17 points and pulling down 13 rebounds. Jaylen Barbee chipped in 11 points and seven steals, while this season’s leading scorer Claudell Quinland was limited to six points, while adding four steals.

The two teams combined for nearly 60 turnovers and 13 blocked shots — eight for Franklin Pierce, and five for the Sentinels.

Steilacoom is on a seven-game winning streak, last losing to 2A SPSL West rival Foss by two points midway through December, and has control of the division after the Falcons (10-6) dropped a game against Clover Park on Monday.

Franklin Pierce is still two games ahead of second-place White River (8-4) in the 2A SPSL East.

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

S – Nehemiah Shird 15, Josiah Hampton 2, Devin Asaeli 4, Torrey Cady 9, Jaymason Willingham 4, J.J. Lemming 4, Chris Hines 16.

FP – Abraham Konan 6, Jaylen Barbee 11, Tannyr Thomas 2, Toney Brown 17, Claudell Quinland 6, Jermaine Prunty 4.

This story was originally published January 14, 2019 at 11:41 PM.