High school basketball roundup: John John Barbee sets all-time scoring record for Franklin Pierce
FRIDAY (FEB. 4)
BOYS BASKETBALL
WHITE RIVER 89, FRANKLIN PIERCE 66
Although it wasn’t the night the Cardinals wanted on the scoreboard, it was one night that senior John John Barbee won’t soon forget.
Finishing the night with 29 points, John John surpassed Rod Tripp’s all-time scoring record of 1,495 career points. The new record now stands at 1,511 points, with several more games to go.
“I’m a little surprised, I was not focused on beating the school record. But it feels really good to beat it,” the senior said. “It will be really cool seeing my name in the record books for years to come. It was really special because I had my brother on the court with me and my family was there watching too.”
Barbee is a four-year starter for the Cardinals, and son to head coach John Barbee. Over his tenure there as a player, John John has grown more explosive as a player. From averaging single digits as a freshman to 26 points per game in his shortened junior year.
This year has been no different as his senior year has seen John John average 31 points per game on the court.
“He has had a natural maturation process in his growth. [John John] has access to the gym whenever he wants and when he’s there, he’s shooting,” said coach John. “What makes it amazing is that this wasn’t even on his radar. He plays a selfless game and that makes me most proud as a dad and coach. He loves basketball.”
The Hornets’ offense may have gotten away with senior Rylan Donovan scoring 36 on the night, but the night belongs to John John Barbee.
BOX SCORE
WR: 19-18-24-28--89
FP: 19-12-17-18--66
Scoring: (WR) Rylan Donovan 32; (FP) John John Barbee 29
AUBURN 90, TODD BEAMER 40
The Trojans’ energy overwhelmed the Titans as they scored 26 points in three straight quarters, while Auburn’s defense did not allow 26 points to be scored until the third quarter.
“We jumped on them early and set the tone early with our defense,” said coach Ryan Hansen. “We had control of the game after the first quarter. Holding them to six points in the first quarter was great. They turned the ball over a little bit and that led to our easy offense.
Several players hit double-digits for the Trojans in the game. Seniors Tre Blassingame, Kaden Hansen, and Dae’Kwon Watson had 21, 15, and 14 points respectively, while junior Semaj Brown had 12 to round out the top scorers for Auburn.
BOX SCORE
A: 26-26-26-12--90
TB: 6-16-15-3--40
Scoring: (A) Tre Blassingame 21, Kaden Hansen 15, Dae’Kwon Watson 14, Semaj Brown 12
TAHOMA 62, KENTRIDGE 43
The Bears ran away with this game in the second half as their defense took away any offensive rhythm that the Chargers tried to muster up.
Entering the third quarter, the game was fairly close with the Bears holding a narrow 28-23 lead. However, players like seniors Carson Talbert, Cooper Church, and Kody Kasper all started to pick up steam in the second half and take control of the game.
“We did a good job taking away things they like to do,” said coach Rick Tripp. “They are a very disciplined team. But our defense made them take more difficult shots. Offensively, we moved the ball pretty well. It’s nice when your team has a distinct size advantage against the other.”
Church was a huge benefactor from the size difference as he finished the night with a double-double. He scored 12 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, and also came away with six assists and five blocks as well.
Talbert had a game-high 26 points and Kasper scored 10 as well. The Chargers’ leading scorer was junior Jalon Blackwell with 10 points.
BOX SCORE
T: 18-10-16-18--62
KR: 8-15-10-10--43
Scoring: (T) Carson Talbert 26, Cooper Church 12, Kody Kasper 10; (KR) Jalon Blackwell 10
AUBURN MOUNTAINVIEW 54, AUBURN RIVERSIDE 30
On senior night, the Lions earned their 10th win of the season and giving them a winning record for the first time since 2016.
And because it was senior night, coach Kendall White’s plan was to have the seniors on the team play the whole way through. But after a flat three points in the first quarter, he changed up his game plan.
“I played all the seniors in the first quarter, gave them the night to do their thing,” he said. “After that, I played our regular starting crew which has mainly juniors and sophomores. They got the spark in the second quarter. The guys were playing in front of the biggest crowd they’ve probably seen this year and there was lots of energy. They were getting tons of looks, but the seniors needed to calm down.”
The one senior that does start is guard Sal Savusa, who had a big night himself. Savusa led all scored with 32 points, including 15 in the fourth quarter alone.
After the regular starters got the spark, the seniors came back in to finish out the game against the Ravens.
The Lions have quietly been on a streak where they have won seven out of the last 12 games to lock up the 3rd seed for the NPSL in the district tournament. They will play against the winner of Curtis and Olympia in the district tournament.
BOX SCORE
AMV: 3-19-14-18--54
AR: 7-6-9-8--30
Scoring: (AMV) Sal Savusa 32
TUMWATER 51, SHELTON 42
The T-Birds’ offense really picked up in the second half as the shots began to fall and they were able to rally against the Highclimbers.
The third quarter began with Tumwater up 19-14 as both teams were playing tough defense against each other. However, a couple of three-point shots from the T-Birds sparked a rally and they moved the ball quicker in transition.
“We played really good defense. Shelton has good size and that made it a tough offensive night for us,” said coach Josh Wilson. “However, we got it done on defense. We hang our hat on our defense and try to play really hard. My guys contested every shot, got good switches, and played with tough mentality.”
Leading the way for the T-Birds was junior Luke Brewer, who led all scored with 24 points. Behind him was fellow junior Andrew Collins who scored 15 as well.
The Highclimbers’ main source of offense was junior Mason Goos, who led his team with 15.
BOX SCORE
T: 14-5-19-13--51
S: 5-9-13-15--42
Scoring: (T) Luke Reid 3, Andrew Collins 15, Luke Brewer 24, Connor Hopkins 5, Ryan Otton 4; (S) Noble Pugh 5, Mason Goos 15, Charles Thompson 8, Tyler Ireland 9, Matai Lei Sam 5
GIRLS BASKETBALL
WHITE RIVER 63, FRANKLIN PIERCE 17
White River’s defense stifled rival Franklin Pierce, and the Hornets buzzed to a 63-17 win over the Cardinals on Friday night.
What was the key for the still-undefeated Hornets in the 2A SPSL? A balanced offense, coach Chris Gibson told The News Tribune. Sophomore guard Josie Jacobs led the team with seven first-quarter points, and Vivian Kingston added six en route to a game-high 23.
“We had a really good defensive start,” Gibson said. “And pretty balanced scoring in the first quarter. Vivian had six points, Josie had seven points, and Ava Bright had four.”
White River (10-0, 2A SPSL) continues their unbeaten stretch. Trailing only Enumclaw (11-1) in the standings, both teams meet for a Feb. 11 matchup that could decide the league.
Franklin Pierce’s Zionna Barbee led the Cardinals with nine points.
BOX SCORE
WR: 19-20-13-11--63
FP: 1-6-7-3--17
ANNIE WRIGHT 42, BELLEVUE CHRISTIAN 33 (OT)
Amid Annie Wright’s overtime win, a referee approached coach Chris Spivey.
“I used to ref Annie Wright’s games about five years ago, and they were struggling to put 10 points on the board,” the referee joked.
But that was five years ago.
In the time since, Annie Wright’s program evolved into the standard of the 1A Nisqually League. After their 42-35 win over second-place Bellevue Christian on Friday night, the Gators clinched their fourth consecutive league title and 33rd consecutive league win.
“I think it’s just the culture that we’ve built,” Spivey said. “High expectations, and a solid work ethic. I think we just work hard, right? It’s been a lot of humility and sacrifice. It’s been stepping up to the challenge. I think it’s a commitment to excellence.’
Gators guard Jazmyn Stone led all scorers with 34. And Leah Kearns, Annie Wright’s five-foot-eleven sophomore guard, “stepped up” to the tune of six rebounds, two steals, an assist and a team-high six deflections.
“It was a defensive battle,” Gators coach Chris Spivey said. “We excelled in overtime... got up to probably about a seven point lead in overtime. It was kind of going back and forth.”
Friday’s win pushed Annie Wright to 35-1 over their last 36 league contests. Two games separate the Gators from their third straight undefeated season: a Feb. 8 matchup with Charles Wright Academy, and a meeting with Life Christian Academy on Feb. 10.
“I think the kids who come in… they know that they stand on the shoulders of the kids who came before them,” Spivey said. “I think they want to put Annie Wright on the map.”
CLOVER PARK 43, STEILACOOM 33
Kamila Salanoa’s game-high 19 points powered Clover Park to a 42-33 win over second-place Steilacoom (7-5) on Friday night.
The newly-named Timberwolves, now tied with the Sentinels in the 2A SPSL standings, won the game in the paint and forced Steilacoom turnovers as time dimmed.
Salanoa, Clover Park’s five-foot-eleven sophomore center, guided their offensive attack. Steilacoom’s Amaialynne Cepeda led the Sentinels with 10.
“They got inside to their their big girls, and kept getting putbacks and layups,” Steilacoom coach Russell Ivy said after the loss. “And (we) had too many turnovers.”
MORE SCORES
4A NPSL
Auburn Mountainview 41, Auburn Riverside 38
Tahoma 65, Kentridge 25
Federal Way 37, Kentlake 35
Kentwood 64, Thomas Jefferson 16
2A SPSL
Fife 27, Washington 24
Orting 50, Foss 14
This story was originally published February 4, 2022 at 10:29 PM.