Sparts open WesCo hoop season with Seagull win and Viking loss
By JOHN GALBREATH Sports Editor
The Sparts’ Zack Johnson powers up for two of his 14 points during Friday’s loss to Lake Stevens. Johnson also corraled 14 rebounds. PHOTO BY JOHN GALBREATH STANWOOD/CAMANO NEWS
Finding Kale Schmidt was the key to last Tuesday’s victory over Everett’s Seagulls. Failing to locate him with regularity three nights later probably cost the Spartan boys’ basketball club (1-1 in league, 1-3 overall) a win on the home hardwoods.
Schmidt converted five of his six first-quarter shots – three of them treys – and went on to tally a game-high 18 in the team’s initial Western Conference 4A North Division contest of the 2009- 2010 season.
Joining him with 18 points against the Gulls was Zack Johnson, a formidable force underneath the glass. The 6-foot-4 senior forward buried eight of his 10 free throw attempts during the course of the contest.
After the aforementioned duo, along with Drew Haugstad (6 points), Brock Reinecke (7), Ryan Schroyer (4) and Michael McCune (4), had run roughshod over their hosts for three periods, the Spartan reserves – in their adrenalized state – poured it on over the final eight minutes of play.
Ryan Jamieson (5), Jordan Youngren (3), Trevin Harris (3), Austin Cook (1), Jordan Taylor (8) and freshman Mason Garcea (3) got a taste of the action by scoring 23 points to Everett’s 19 in the fourth quarter. The final score: 79-47.
Lake Stevens, on the other hand, was a handful for the local basketeers. By shooting 32 free throws to the Sparts’ grand total of nine and by forcing no less than 22 turnovers, the Vikings went on a 22-9 scoring run after Stanwood had fought back to take a 46-42 mid-fourth quarter lead to win going away, 64-55.
The game, touted as a clash between the two clubs slated to capture the league crown, was not a good one for Stanwood.
Despite Drew Haugstad’s five three-pointers (and 20 points) and Zack Johnson’s double-double of 14 rebounds and points, only four others scored points: Brock Reinecke 8, Michael Mc- Cune 8, Kale Schmidt 3 and Ryan Schroyer 2.
The Vikes rose to the occasion by employing a full-court press that resulted in numerous thefts of poor passes, mismanaged dribbles and unprotected basketballs.
Meanwhile, Zach Ward’s charges were forced to foul in order to have a chance at the other end – a chance that, more often than not, was lost.
