- FOR THE BELLINGHAM HERALD
BELLINGHAM - In a sense, Squalicum claimed a 71-66 victory over Sehome in a classic non-league game because one hungry Storm sophomore overcame the scrambling efforts of six seniors and four juniors who came into the boys' basketball season starving for playing time with the Mariners.
Squalicum's Blake Youtsey, who was on the varsity bench all season as a freshman but grew a lot in practice, scored all of his 15 points, including three 3-pointers, in the second half on Tuesday, Dec. 13, as the visiting Storm (4-0) rallied from a nine-point deficit (37-28) early in the second half to a nine-point lead (68-59) following two consecutive 3s by Youtsey.
"It was like, 'I'm a freshman,'" Youtsey said, explaining why he didn't get discouraged last season. "But with Squalicum basketball, you always feel like you belong."
Squalicum coach Dave Dickson was hardly shocked by Youtsey's production in the clutch.
"Blake had four 3-pointers in the second quarter against Bellingham and he does it every day in practice," Dickson said. "But we sure needed him."
It was a fascinating matchup, because Squalicum's returning senior standouts from a team that finished second at state 2A - point guard Joseph Chunphakvenn, forward Chris Qualls and guard Zerek Csolti - along with experienced seniors Neilan Pierce, Nathan Mattix and Bryce Dickerson all scored at least six points, yet could not shake inexperienced but hustling Sehome (2-2) until late in the fourth quarter.
Chunphakvenn pretty much wrapped up the intense victory - the teams combined for 42 fouls - with a pair of free throws for a 71-64 lead with 22 seconds remaining.
Sehome's Konstantin Andrushenko, who shot 7 for 11 with three 3s for 18 points, and fellow senior Riley Fraser, who went 5 for 7 from inside and had 14 points, gave the Storm all it could handle.
Sophomore guard Evan Miksovsky made an NBA-distance 3-pointer for Sehome to produce a 48-all tie at the buzzer, but the Storm's experience and Youtsey's 10 fourth-quarter points were too much.
"I'm not much for moral victories, especially when I thought we had a chance to get this game," said Sehome coach A.J. LaBree, who lost seven seniors who won the Northwest Conference title last season. "But I'm proud of our guys. This was a good learning experience and we'll try to grow from it."
Chunphakvenn, playing his usual whirlwind game at point guard, scored eight of his 16 points in the fourth quarter. Mattix went 5 for 5 from the field, with four buckets in the third quarter as the Storm overcame a 33-28 halftime deficit while refusing to panic.
"We talked about that at halftime and our guys did a good job of keeping their poise," Dickson said. "I think it was very competitive and a great learning game for both teams."
Dickson was especially pleased with how the 6-6 Mattix continued to grow as a player and how his bench produced five 3s, with two by Dickerson to go with Youtsey's three.
Noah Cyr-Moore, a junior guard, scored 10 points for Sehome, including a pair of free throws with 1:15 remaining, pulling Sehome within 69-62. Andrushenko scored on a rebound 20 seconds later for 69-64, but Chunphakvenn's two ensuing free throws were the highlight of a ramble-scramble final minute.
Sehome's 6-6 Fraser showed he figures to give opponents plenty of trouble with his muscle, even though he's inexperienced at the varsity level. He grabbed eight rebounds and scored in every quarter.
Sehome senior Jake Schacht came off the bench to score with three minutes remaining, pulling the Mariners with 62-59, but Youtsey quickly followed with consecutive 3s as his cheering section chanted, "He's on fire, he's on fire."
And so he was.
SQUALICUM 71, SEHOME 66
Squalicum 13 15 20 23 - 71
Sehome 16 17 15 18 - 66
Squalicum: Joseph Chunphakvenn 16, Zerek Csolti 8, Chris Qualls 8, Neilan Pierce 6, Nathan Mattix 11, Blake Youtsey 15, Bryce Dickerson 7. Totals 25-49 14-22 71.
Sehome: Konstantin Andrushenko 18, Riley Fraser 14, Noah Cyr-Moore 10, Drew Ronson 4, Gabe Sanchez 2, Jake Slesk 5, Jake Schacht 4, Evan Miksovsky 7, Charles Linneman 2, Lawrence Strasser 0. Totals 21-51 19-26 66.
3-point goals: Squalicum 7 (Youtsey 3); Sehome 5 (Andrushenko 3). Rebounds: Squalicum 24 (Mattix, Qualls 6); Sehome 30 (Fraser 9). Assists: Squalicum 9 (Chunphakvenn 5); Sehome 7 (Cyr-Moore 3). Fouls: Squalicum 21; Sehome 21 (Ronson fouled out).
Read more: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/12/13/2310524/prep-boys-basketball-youtsey-big.html
