Wildcats can’t overcome Lynnwood’s fast start / Boys basketball

Published 1:30 am Thursday, December 15, 2016

The Lynnwood High School boys basketball team won a tale of two halves 62-39 over host Oak Harbor Tuesday, Dec. 13.

Not much went right for the Wildcats in the first two periods as they trailed 13-5 and 37-11 in the Wesco opener.

Often a team losing big at halftime will put a dent in the leader’s advantage in the second half because the winners turn the game over to their reserves.

The Royals, however, didn’t empty their bench until the final 90 seconds as Oak Harbor outscored Lynnwood 28-25 after the break.

“We made some adjustments and the guys really executed the game plan in the second half more effectively,” Oak Harbor coach John Weston said. “Along with the adjustments, the guys played more inspired and with purpose. We had multiple players who came off the bench in the second half and really contributed.”

Among the reserves who gave Oak Harbor a spark were JJ Mitchell and Gavin Allen.

“JJ Mitchell was our hustle guy,” Weston said. “He was able to force Lynwood into making some turnovers and convert in transition.

“I was also really happy with Gavin Allen’s performance running point in the second half. He was able to manage our press breaker and half-court offense efficiently; he showed us what we all know he is capable of doing consistently.”

Oak Harbor didn’t score until the game was five minutes old. Time and again, Lynnwood’s aggressive zone defense forced the Wildcats to put up poor percentage shots as the shot clock ran down.

Oak Harbor had another dry spell, this one four minutes, that spanned the first and second quarters as the Royals went on an 18-0 run to lead 28-5. Lynnwood scored a whopping 24 points in the second period.

The Wildcats’ offense picked up after halftime as they doubled their score in the first six minutes of the third quarter and outscored the Royals 16-10 in the period.

For the game, Adam Nelson led Oak Harbor with 9 points. Gabe Salinger had 7, Mitchell 7, Ozell Jackson 5, Justin Ellison 4, Allen 3, Weston Whitefoot 2 and Kevin Schuldt 2.

Ryan Rapanan tallied a game-high 19 for the Royals (1-0, 2-4).

Oak Harbor (0-1, 1-5) goes to Snohomish (0-1, 0-5) at 7:15 p.m. Friday, Dec. 16.