Cold-shooting Wolverines fall at home to Mount Baker, 52-41

The roads had finally been cleared of snow thanks to a brief blast of warmer weather.

But inside Turnbull Gym, the Wolverines were ice-cold on the offensive end and struggled to score in a 52-41 loss Tuesday at home to Mount Baker.

It's the lowest scoring total for Friday Harbor this season, and with the defeat the team dropped to 2-2 overall.

The Wolverines struggled from the field as well as at the foul line, hitting only 18-of-28 free-throw attempts, a season-low 64 percent. They were anything but crisp following a weather-related two-week layoff over the holiday. But senior forward Pablo Lopez credits Mount Baker and its feisty defense for preventing the Wolverines from getting back on track.

"Their defense gave us a lot of trouble," Lopez said. "We had a hard time playing against their zone, and I think that's where most of our problems stemmed from."

The lead changed hands four times in the first half and the Division 2A Mountaineers (2-2) trailed by two at the break. They opened the third period on a 9-2 run, however, and then took control of the game by outscoring the Wolverines 16-9 in the quarter. Senior guard Travis Doser pumped in nine of his game-high 21 points after the break and stoked the Mountaineers' offense in the pivotal third period of play.

Junior guard Nick Jacoby tossed in nine points and senior forward Matt Millson added eight to the Mountaineers' total.

The Wolverines cut the deficit down to six midway through the final quarter but could get no closer before the end of regulation.

Senior guard Ryan Aylward tallied 14 points to lead the Wolverines and Austin Scheffer dropped in seven. Jordan Nash and Albert Strasser each had five.

The Wolverines can avenge the loss to Mount Baker, a non-conference opponent, and move a notch above the .500 mark with a win at home Friday against Coupeville; tipoff is 4:30 p.m. The Wolverines also host Nooksack Valley, a state 1A tournament team a season ago, on Saturday; game time is 1:30 p.m.

Contact Journal of the San Juans Editor Scott Rasmussen at srasmussen@sanjuanjournal.com or 1-360-378-5696.

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.