Boys basketball: Another slow start equals another 'Cat loss

Unfortunately for the Oak Harbor High School boys basketball team, outscoring its opponent in three out of four quarters doesn’t guarantee a victory.

The Wildcats outscored South Kitsap in every quarter but the first, but the Wolves pulled out the 55-47 win in the second round of the 40th annual Bellevue Community College Tournament Wednesday, Dec. 29.

For the second game in a row, Oak Harbor was buried in the first quarter. The ‘Cats found themselves down 20-5 Tuesday against Bear Creak; Wednesday against South Kitsap, it was 21-5.

Oak Harbor outscored the Wolves 9-6. 12-10 and 21-18 in the following periods, but couldn’t overcome the huge initial lead mounted by South Kitsap.

Coach Mike Washington Sr. said his club made poor decisions that resulted in turnovers and poor shots as the Wildcats dropped behind in the opening quarter.

Like Tuesday’s contest, Mike Washington Jr. and Stevie Bratt battled through illness to play. Washington Jr. perked up in the second half, scoring 16 of his 23 points after the break as he played most of the game. He also collected a team-high seven rebounds. Bratt, however, played just over half the game and picked up just one point, as did one of Oak Harbor’s other top shooters, Jay Stout.

Point guard Denzel Massey and freshman Drew Washington each recorded 10 points for the Wildcats; Kevawn Brooks collected the remaining two.

For the second game in a row, an Oak Harbor opponent had a good day from the field. South Kitsap shot a blistering 58.8 percent (20-34); Oak Harbor shot 32 percent (16-50).

The Wildcats had 11 offensive rebounds and seven less turnovers (18 to 25) that resulted in 16 more shot opportunities than the Wolves but couldn’t convert them into points.

Coach Washington said his club, for some reason, “wasn’t ready to play.” He added, “You could see it in the (pregame) warm-ups.” That resulted in the first-quarter wake-up call.

The ‘Cats face Eastside Catholic Thursday, Dec. 30, at 3 p.m. in the BCC Tournament’s final round.

Contact Whidbey News Times Sports editor Jim Waller at jwaller@whidbeynewsgroup.com or 360-675-6611 ext. 5060.

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