The Stanwood High School boys basketball team, ranked 10th in the state 3A poll, pulled away from pesky Oak Harbor in the second half for a 72-47 win Thursday, Dec. 12, in Stanwood.
The Spartans, who entered the conference opener with a 3-0 record, couldn’t shake the winless Wildcats for the first 16 minutes.
Stanwood led 21-14 after the first quarter and 37-28 at the break. With one of Oak Harbor’s top players, Dyllan Harris, seeing limited time in the second half because of a rolled ankle, Stanwood steadily increased its lead over the third and fourth periods.
Oak Harbor coach Mike Washington liked the attitude and effort of his team: “We lost, but (I’m) very happy with the way we competed.”
He stressed “compete” was the word of the day for his team, and the Wildcats responded by not backing down to the heavily favored Spartans.
Drew Washington led Oak Harbor with 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Elijah Smith finished with 11 points, including three three-pointers. Gabe Groenig had seven points and six rebounds, while Zach Gibbs scored six and grabbed five boards. Jake Sturdevant finished with four points and five rebounds. Harris, who played about half the game, scored six points.
Four Spartans scored in double figures, with Skout Robertson getting a game-high 19.
Oak Harbor outrebounded Stanwood 32-30 but was hurt by turnovers, committing 19 to seven for the Spartans. Stanwood outscored Oak Harbor 19-4 off those mistakes.
Oak Harbor (0-1, 0-4) entertains Everett (0-0, 3-1) at 7:15 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 17.