FH boys fall to Overlake in Classic title bout; girls rebound to claim third

Friday Harbor picked off enough passes and parlayed those into a steady diet of break-away lay-ins to remain within striking distance, trailing 38-27, at the start of the second half. But even after draining four 3-pointers in the opening half, Overlake's Katon Minhas had more in store from beyond the third-point arc and for the Wolverines.

By Scott Rasmussen • December 7, 2014 10:31 pm
Shorewood Christian's NIkko Morris finds little room to maneuver against the Wolverines Peter Strasser
Shorewood Christian's NIkko Morris finds little room to maneuver against the Wolverines Peter Strasser

The Wolverines more than held their own against Overlake’s twin towers down in the paint.

But beyond the three-point stripe, well, that proved to be their undoing.

Overlake’s Katon Minhas lit up the scoreboard with four three-pointers in the first half and seven in the contest, as well as a conventional 2-point bucket, for a game-high 23 points, as the Owls staked an early lead and kept Wolverines at arm’s length down the stretch to tally a 61-52 victory in the championship game of Friday Harbor’s inaugural Tip-Off Classic, Dec. 6, in Turnbull Gym.

RevercombFirst-half foul trouble and lack of precision on the offensive end combined to contribute to a double-digit deficit at the end of the first half of play for the Wolverines. But they picked off enough passes and parlayed those into a steady diet of break-away lay-ins to remain within striking distance, trailing 38-27, at the start of the second half.

“Our offensive chemistry needs to get a little better than it is,” said senior Peter Strasser, who scored a team-high 16 points despite sitting out much of the second quarter because of foul trouble. “I had way too many turnovers for a team leader and far too many fouls.”

Friday Harbor advanced to Saturday’s championship game on the heels of a 57-35 win Friday over Shorewood Christian, in the opening round of the Friday Harbor High School’s first-ever Classic.

The Wolverines held Shorewood to four second-period points to turn a 4-point edge into a 30-16 advantage at the half, and gave little ground after the break en route to the win. Strasser, though saddled with early foul trouble, tallied 18 points to lead the Wolverines in the season opener at home. Gabe Lawson scored 14 and Jake Bower added eight.

The Owls defeated Salem Academy, Ore., 58-46 in the opening round to earn a shot at the Classic title and opportunity to upend the hometown team.

KincaidIn the girls side of the Classic, which, like the boys, featured four teams vying for the championship, the Wolverines, with would-be starters Allie Galt (ankle) and Hayden Mayer (hip) sidelined with injuries, fell 33-22 to South Whidbey in the opening round.

They bounced back the following day to claim third place with a 37-29 win against Overlake. Madie Kincaid led the Wolverines in the scoring column in both games, tallying 16 and 17 points, respectively.

Salem Academy defeated South Whidbey Saturday, 60-21, to claim the girls Classic crown.