High school basketball roundup: Rogers’ Weatherspoon drops 24, but Puyallup survives
FRIDAY (DEC. 15)
BOYS BASKETBALL
4A
Puyallup 62, Rogers 60
Rogers earned a must-have stop in the final seconds – but a three-pointer at the buzzer for the win missed wide, and Puyallup (2-3, 4-3) survived to snap a three-game losing skid in the 4A SPSL.
Vikings sophomore Will Nasinec dropped a team-high 19 points, and his four late free throws lifted Puyallup in a game that was tied both at halftime and after three quarters.
Puyallup guard Drew Jones returned from a four-game absence – he suffered an ankle injury at practice Dec. 4 – providing four points that proved the difference in nail-biter at Rogers High School.
Puyallup’s Isaiah Sonntag posted 18 points.
Rogers guard Treyshawn Weatherspoon dropped a game-high 24 points and sank 11-of-15 free throws. He drilled a trio of three-pointers, all in the third quarter. Rams guard Dylan GIlderhus added 12.
BOX SCORE
P: 20-8-20-14–62
R: 15-13-20-12–60
Scoring: (P) Will Nasinec 19, Isaiah Sonntag 18, Carsen Lovett 7, Lawson Looker 6, Mason Sonntag 6, Drew Jones 4, Justin Temple Jr. 2; (R) Treyshawn Weatherspoon 24, Dylan Gilderhus 12, Ryan Avary 9, Kyree Grays 8, Ian Draper 4, Amanna Anusiem 3
MORE SCORES
4A SPSL
Emerald Ridge 73, Bethel 60
Olympia 52, Graham-Kapowsin 45
Sumner 64, South Kitsap 53
GIRLS BASKETBALL
3A
North Thurston 62, Peninsula 44
Soraya Ogaldez dropped a game-high 26 points (four triples) and powered North Thurston’s massive third quarter for a runaway win at Peninsula High School.
Ogaldez paced the Rams with a dozen points in the third; North Thurston totaled 23 in the frame en route to a sixth consecutive victory to begin the campaign. The Rams have stormed through six opponents by a combined score of 401-184 and an average winning margin of 36.
North Thurston’s Grace Lee added 10 points.
Peninsula guard Grace Richardson posted a team-high 16 points and sank 4-of-5 free throws. Senior guard Kaylia Heidelberg dropped 14, all in the second half.
THURSDAY (DEC. 14)
BOYS BASKETBALL
3A
Stadium 68, Spanaway Lake 56
Stadium erupted for 22 fourth-quarter points to ensure a road win at Spanaway Lake and co-share of the 3A-PCL lead on Thursday night.
Tigers junior Donovan Gill delivered a game-high 14 points and sank 4-of-5 free throws in the final period, slamming the door on a Sentinels program that had erased a double-digit deficit minutes earlier.
Stadium (2-0, 5-1) and Lincoln share the league lead and meet twice this season on Jan. 3 and Jan. 23, 2024.
Stadium’s Miles Washington dropped 13 points Thursday night, including eight in the first quarter. Baaroc Rivers added 10.
Spanaway Lake’s AJ Manning-Blanks posted a game-high 20 points with three triples. Sophomore point guard Darius Alexander (16 points) nailed four three-pointers, also a game-high, and sophomore wing Key’Andre White added nine.
BOX SCORE
S: 18-14-14-22–68
SL: 14-7-23-12–56
GIRLS BASKETBALL
3A
Bonney Lake 49, Lincoln 31
Senior forward Jazmyn Shipp dropped a game-high 14 points, and Bonney Lake grabbed sole possession of the 3A-PCL lead in Thursday night’s home victory.
Shipp delivered six points in the first quarter and stormed over Lincoln in what was a battle between the league’s last remaining unbeatens at Bonney Lake High School.
The last-remaining undefeated program in 3A-PCL competition and the only program with four or more wins (Bonney Lake has five), the Panthers (3-0, 5-1) sit atop the league landscape alone. Bonney Lake has defeated each of its three league opponents by a combined 91 points.
A trio of Panthers posted double-digit scoring efforts Thursday – senior center Ava Rice and freshman guard Issabelle Meki joined Shipp in that club with 10 points apiece.
Lincoln guard Jaleigha Robinson paced the Abes with 10 points and two triples. Junior guard Savannah So added nine.
BOX SCORE
L: 5-7-5-14–31
BL: 12-12-9-16–49
Scoring: (BL) Jazmyn Shipp 14, Issabelle Meki 10, Ava Rice 10, Azy Jackson 8, Evin Elias 7; (L) Jaleigha Robinson 10, Savannah So 9, De’Andrea Woods-Singleton 6, Ciona Wells 4, Carmayla Jackson 2
WEDNESDAY (DEC. 13)
BOYS BASKETBALL
4A
Olympia 66, Rogers (Puyallup) 57
Junior forward Matt Lindblom’s 12 points in the final period guided host Olympia to a fourth-quarter comeback win over Rogers on Wednesday night.
Lindblom posted a game-high 25 points and sank 5-of-6 free throws in the fourth quarter to keep Olympia (3-0, 4-0) undefeated in 4A SPSL competition.
Bears guard Julian Zapata dropped 16 points (six in the fourth quarter) and went 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. Senior guard Drew Carlson added 13 points.
Rogers guard Treyshawn Witherspoon delivered a team-high 12 points. Ryan Avary, a junior forward, added 11.
BOX SCORE
R: 17-13-16-11--57
O: 18-17-9-22--66
Scoring: (O) Matt Lindblom 25, Julian Zapata 16, Drew Carlson 13, Kingston Stanciu 7, Brody Cronk 3, Sam Schilter 2; (R) Treyshawn Witherspoon 12, Ryan Avary 11, Ja’Keem Richardson 9, Amanna Anusiem 8, Dylan Gilderhus 8, Kryee Grays 6, Ian Draper 3
TUESDAY (DEC. 12)
BOYS BASKETBALL
4A
Curtis 52, Puyallup 48
Curtis guard Devin Whitten dropped a game-high 21 points, and the reigning 4A-champion Vikings survived a challenge from Puyallup on Tuesday night.
Freshman guard Keaundre Morris added 18 points and Curtis used gritty, physical defense to generate a fourth straight win at Puyallup High School -- their closest call since a season-opening win over league-rival Graham-Kapowsin, 43-41, on Dec. 5.
Puyallup was without leading-scorer Drew Jones for a fourth consecutive game after the junior guard injured his ankle at practice Dec. 4. The Vikings were 2-0 to start the season with Jones on the floor and are 1-3 without him.
Good news, per Puyallup head coach Kevin Olson: He expects Jones to return for Friday night’s road contest with league-rival Rogers, an earlier-than-initially-expected recovery time.
Puyallup guard Isaiah Sonntag delivered a team-high 13 points; Carsen Lovett posted 12 points and Will Nasinec added 10.
Curtis now prepares to host Emerald Ridge in a 4A SPSL meeting Dec. 19.
3A
Lincoln (Tacoma) 87, Mount Tahoma 81
Lincoln’s offense erupted for a season-high 87 points, and the Abes won a shootout at Mount Tahoma High School in Tuesday night’s 3A PCL-opener.
Senior forward Omarion Boston paced Lincoln with 22 points, and five Abes notched double-digit scoring performances in the program’s best offensive showing of the campaign.
The two-time defending league-champion Abes (1-0, 4-0) remain undefeated on their quest for a three-peat.
What clicked at Mount Tahoma?
“Getting the ball inside, and being patient,” Lincoln head coach Ryan Rogers said. “(Mount Tahoma) has a lot of scrappy guards. Once we settled down, and took care of the ball and got it inside to our big players... we were able to get some good looks.”
Abes guard Trey Collier, a freshman, delivered 15 points and sank 5-of-6 free throws. Lincoln exploded for 36 second-quarter points to erase an early, double-digit deficit -- senior forward LaVhanta Sandling-Green posted nine points in the frame and finished with 14.
Lincoln’s Dairius Dillard and TeShawn Ports-Jackson added 10 points apiece.
Mount Tahoma senior Carter Williford dropped a game-high 33 points, sank 11-of-14 free throws, and went 4-of-8 from beyond the arc. Mount Tahoma’s Tre’ Walker dropped 23.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
2A
Tumwater 57, Aberdeen 40
Tumwater’s gargantuan second quarter paved the way for another double-digit win over Aberdeen on Tuesday night.
Sophomore guard Rhylee Beebe dropped a team-high 19 points, and the T-Birds exploded for 24 points in the second quarter at Aberdeen High School for a road victory, the program’s fourth straight to begin the season.
Despite a slow start, a second-quarter scoring spree erased an early deficit and keeps Tumwater (4-0, 3-0) undefeated in 2A Evergreen competition. The T-Birds have won all three league contests to date by a combined 84 points.
Senior guard Regan Brewer delivered 12 points in Tumwater’s win. Junior guard Sydney Sumrok added nine.
BOX SCORE
T: 6-24-12-15--57
A: 9-4-15-12--40
Scoring: (T) Beebe 19, Brewer 12, Sumrok 9, Gjurasic 6, Schreck 6, Fields 3, Kolb 2
MONDAY (DEC. 11)
BOYS BASKETBALL
4A
Rogers (Puyallup) 92, Mariner 56
Rams guard Treyshawn Weatherspoon orchestrated a scoring frenzy at Rogers High School -- his game-high 21 points powered a 36-point blowout win Monday night, the program’s fourth straight.
Weatherspoon was a three-level scorer from the tip, dropping 19 of his 21 in the first half (one three-pointer) without missing a free throw (8-for-8).
But this rout was a true team effort -- every healthy Rams player earned a bucket during Rogers’ scoring barrage. Eleven, to be exact.
Witherspoon was the first-half force. Once Rogers built a 30-point lead, senior guard Kyree Grays emerged.
Rogers erupted for 29 points in the third quarter behind 10 from Grays, who finished with 14.
BOX SCORE
M: 14-4-19-19--56
R: 27-21-29-15--92
Scoring: (R) Treyshawn Weatherspoon 21, Kyree Grays 14, Amanna Anusiem 10, Ja’Keem Richardson 9, Dylan Gilderhus 8, Josh Steiger 7, Ian Draper 6, Raylen Rigney 6, Jevel Carter 5, Solomon Sayles 4, Ryan Avary 2
2A
Foss 48, Enumclaw 46
Falcons guard Zaire Stubblefield’s five triples (15 points) narrowly lifted Foss (4-0, 4-2) over Enumclaw to remain undefeated in 2A SPSL play.
Stubblefield sank a pair of three-pointers in the final frame that proved the difference Monday night. Foss senior Amir Goins, with eight points in each of the first and third quarters, paced the Falcons with 16.
Enumclaw guard Travis Leonard dropped a game-high 17 points with five triples.
BOX SCORE
E: 12-9-11-14--46
F: 11-8-15-14--48
1A
Annie Wright 67, Cascade Christian 44
Jeremiah Harshman’s game-high 22 points fueled Annie Wright’s road win at Cascade Christian on Monday night.
The junior guard jump-started a third-quarter surge, pouring in 11 of the team’s 16 points in a decisive frame that won Annie Wright its fourth consecutive contest to begin the season, all by 23 points or more.
Annie Wright captain TJ Marshall dropped 14 points; Martin Kaupanger added 13.
The undefeated Gators (4-0, 4-0) are atop the 1A Nisqually, joined by Bellevue Christian (3-0, 4-0) -- those programs meet twice this season, on Jan. 9 and Feb. 6, 2024.
MORE SCORES
1A
Life Christian Academy 73, Vashon Island 35
This story was originally published December 12, 2023 at 12:18 AM.
