Hoops Roundup: Bellevue boys trip No. 7 Sammamish

BELLEVUE — A quick start was the key last night as the Bellevue boys basketball team shocked seventh-ranked Sammamish 62-56 in a KingCo 3A showdown at Bellevue High.

Then again, the Wolverines' finish wasn't too shabby, either.

Bellevue (2-2 overall, 2-0 conference) jumped out to a 14-point lead early in the second quarter, then put the game away with an 8-0 run early in the fourth after the visiting Totems (3-1, 1-1) had cut the lead to four.

"We knew they were gonna have their runs," Bellevue junior post Luke Sikma said. "We just tried to weather the storm."

Sikma, the son of former Seattle Sonics standout Jack Sikma, had a big all-around game with 10 points, 13 rebounds, four steals and five assists.

The Wolverines employed balanced scoring and a big defensive effort to overcome a game-high 24 points from Sammamish senior Thomas Bright and an 18-point, 11-rebound showing from fellow senior Jaz Giacchetti.

"This was a good win against a good Sammamish team that beat us three times last year," Bellevue coach Jeff Altchech said. "We took a couple of their punches and we weren't knocked out."

Sammamish, which allowed only 15 total first-quarter points in its first three games, fell behind 19-8 after one period. The Totems trailed 24-10 three minutes into the second quarter after making just two of their first 17 shots.

"We wanted to come out with energy, get our crowd into it and get 'em flustered a little bit," Sikma said. "They're a good shooting team when they get in a zone."

Sammamish finally found its stroke and finished the first half with a 12-2 run to close to 29-26. But that was as close as the visitors got.

Junior forward Chase Anderson overcame early foul trouble to score 14 points for Bellevue, and senior Brian Monk chipped in 13. Freshman point guard Cam Warren iced the game with four free throws in the final 12 seconds.

Other boys games

Tahoma 60, at Auburn 41

Senior guard Zac Chase's 22 points helped the Bears win an SPSL North game. Noble'D Shelton scored 15 for the Trojans.

At Redmond 54, Eastside Catholic 32

The Mustangs scorched the Crusaders down the stretch, outscoring them 20-6 in the fourth quarter to pull away for a nonleague win. Sam Newcomb had a game-high 13 points for Redmond.

Mercer Island 59, at Newport 38

The Islanders overcame a sluggish start for a KingCo 3A win. Leroy Lutu led all scorers with 17 points for Mercer Island, which outscored the Knights 20-4 at the free-throw line.

At Issaquah 59, Interlake 41

Issaquah turned it around after trailing 26-24 at halftime of the KingCo 3A game. Ralph Lewis scored 13 points and Bren Hobzek and John Powers had 12 each for the balanced Eagles. Corey Sullivan of Interlake led all scorers with 22.

At Mount Rainier 85, Evergreen 70

Mike Johnson, Mount Rainier's 5-10 senior point guard, scored 20 points on 10-of-14 shooting and had six assists and three rebounds in a Seamount League King Division win. Bruce Fuller added 19 points, Justin Armstrong 15 and Mike Malone 14 for the Rams. Nathan Laupati of Evergreen led all scorers with 31, and Warrick Tulloss added 20 for the Wolverines.

Seattle Prep Frosh-Sophs 52, Northwest Yeshiva 50

The 613s lost despite another big night by 6-3 junior Golan Silverman, who had 34 points on 16-of-20 shooting and grabbed 23 rebounds.

Girls games

At Tahoma 46, Auburn 41

Anna Sandman, the Bears' 6-1 senior forward, scored 19 points and collected 15 rebounds in an SPSL North victory. She was 9 of 10 at the free-throw line. Paese Strickland led Auburn with 15 points.

At Puyallup 62, Emerald Ridge 42

Puyallup survived a horrific start, trailing 20-8 early in the second quarter in the SPSL South game, and overwhelmed the Jaguars the rest of the way. Puyallup outscored Emerald Ridge 19-0 in the third quarter. Danika Lawson had 24 points, eight rebounds and three steals for the Vikings. Teammate Stephanie Wheless had 20 points and Ali Daniels made 10 steals. Lakia Arceneaux led Emerald Ridge with 14 points.

Bellevue 75, at Sammamish 20

The Wolverines dashed to a 29-1 lead after one quarter of a KingCo 3A mismatch. Lauren Coombs scored 19 and Cody Brazen 16 for Bellevue.

Issaquah 63, at Interlake 37

Fifth-ranked Issaquah was in command from the start, leading 22-8 after one quarter of the KingCo 3A game. Aubrey Jensen scored 21 points and Alyssa Shoji was 3 of 4 from three-point distance with 15 points for the Eagles. Katy Kirschner led the Saints with 13 points.

Newport 58, at Mercer Island 44

Newport dug out of a 13-3 first-quarter hole, outscoring the Islanders 37-15 in the second half of a KingCo 3A victory. Senior guard Tricia Dixon's 20 points for the Knights led all scorers.

Mount Si 55, Liberty 43

Trailing 37-19 at halftime, Liberty went on an 18-5 third-quarter run to trail by five before Mount Si pulled away late in the KingCo 3A game. Caitie Richards paced four Wildcats in double figures with 13 points. Kayla Haines scored 12 for the Patriots.

Ballard 52, at Eastside Catholic 29

Kayla Williams had a pair of three-pointers among her 15 points to lead the Beavers to a nonleague victory.

At Cedarcrest 84, Klahowya 32

The Red Wolves led 42-16 at halftime of a nonleague rout. Karen Lawson had 15 points and Kristen McKinley 15 for Cedarcrest.

At King's 63, Mount Rainier 21

The 2A Knights charged to a 22-4 lead after one quarter in a nonleague win over the 3A Rams. Four King's players scored in double digits, led by Sara Mosiman's 19 points.

At Overlake 48, Northwest School 23

Lexi Barker's 15 points led a trio of Owls in double figures.