Ray Adams, North Thurston stay undefeated in 3A SSC with win over Gig Harbor: 3 takeaways
The host Gig Harbor High School Tides boys basketball team made it interesting late, but North Thurston pulled away late in a 56-45 road win on Friday night to remain undefeated in the 3A SSC. Here are three takeaways from the game.
RAY ADAMS IS A DIFFERENCE MAKER ON BOTH ENDS OF THE FLOOR
At the rim offensively, with the midrange game, on the glass on both ends and protecting the rim on defense, Adams makes his presence felt all over the court. He’s a double-double machine and the difference maker for Mike Conner’s squad, which has wins over 4A SPSL opponents on its resume, in addition to North Thurston’s win over Gig Harbor on Friday night.
Adams finished with a game-high 22 points, hauled in 12 rebounds, five blocks and three steals. Eleven of those points came in the first quarter, a fast start individually and for the Rams.
“That was definitely key,” Adams said. “We needed a good start to pull through in this one.”
North Thurston coach Mike Conner calls Adams a “unique high school basketball player.”
“He does all of the little things you want to see as a coach that you don’t have time to really cover in practice,” Conner said. “I credit a lot of his spatial awareness and his ability to read the floor to him being a soccer player for years. He was a very good one.”
Fortunately for Conner, Adams hit a growth spurt and eventually turned in his soccer cleats for basketball shoes.
“He always knows what’s going on around him and he can make up for a lot of errors around him just with his length and quickness,” Conner said.
RAMS WIN GAMES WITH DEFENSE
It helps having Adams altering shots in the key. He’s 6-foot-7 but plays even taller with a 7-foot wingspan, a disruptive presence for the Rams.
“His length catches up to you,” Conner said. “You think you’re by him and then all of the sudden, there he is just reaching back over the top of you to get a block. He uses his length so well that he doesn’t draw a lot of fouls, typically, because he can separate himself. He’s a tough matchup for everybody.”
North Thurston has several capable guards who all play hard defense, also. The Rams have held nine of their 12 opponents this season to under 50 points.
“Our coach, he drives it into our heads,” Adams said. “We’re supposed to be a defensive team, so he makes sure we’re that.”
The guards spread the wealth on the offensive end, too. There’s maybe no standout in the group, but they’re all capable of putting the ball in the net. Ahmari Steplight scored nine, Micah Anderson and Liam Sheeran added six apiece and Micah Gentry added five.
“It’s been one of the best groups I’ve had over the years,” Conner said.
GIG HARBOR HAS SOME INTERESTING PIECES
Particularly, a pair of 6-foot-8 forwards in Luke Allison and sophomore Michael Masini, who give Billy Landram’s Tides the size advantage over most opponents on their schedule. Allison and Masini scored 14 points apiece in the loss.
Junior guard Cole Browne scored 10. If he’s hitting his outside shot, Gig Harbor could sneak up on some teams this year. Despite losing the team’s top two scorers last season in Will Landram and Luke Browne, Gig Harbor is right back in the picture, dropping to 9-2 with the loss.
This story was originally published January 5, 2024 at 10:13 PM.
