Bear Creek boys win third straight league title, Lady Grizzlies fall short

REPORTER STAFF

The Bear Creek boys’ basketball team won a third-straight Sea-Tac 2B League title last Saturday night, taking down Chief Leschi of Puyallup, 65-41, on its home court.

After a slow start, Bear Creek’s trademark offense started clicking as the Grizzlies opened up a 10-point lead at the half, 30-20, before outscoring the Warriors 19-11 in the third quarter to take command of the game.

Jamie Meyer scored 22 in the win, while Lucas Peterson added 15. Junior 6-foot-6 forward Ryan Strandin posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

The Grizzlies (20-1) play host to Seattle Lutheran in a Tri-District playoff opener on Thursday at 7 p.m.

The Bear Creek girls’ team also played for the league crown last Saturday at Chief Leschi, but fell short, 43-36, against a strong Tacoma Baptist team.

The Grizzlies jumped out to a 28-21 lead at the half, and despite being blanked in the third quarter, were down by just one with less than a minute to play until the Crusaders managed to score a pair of unanswered buckets on the way to the championship win.

Kendall Engelstone led the Grizzlies with nine points, followed by Tajel Mehta with eight. Megan Cheever and Maddie Magee pitched in with six apiece.

The Grizzlies (14-6) earned the No. 2 seed into the Tri-District tournament and will take on Darrington Thursday at home. Tipoff is at 5:15 p.m.

Great defensive effort earns Owls win

Solid play on both ends of the court earned the Overlake girls’ basketball team a first-round win in the Emerald City League Tournament on Tuesday night at home against University Prep, 43-30.

The Owls’ pressure defense prevented the Pumas from putting more than nine points on the board in any of the final three quarters, including just four in the final frame. Three Owl players scored in double digits, leading the way for Overlake’s balanced attack.

Senior Maya Marder led the team with 16, followed by fellow upperclassmen Jessica Elliott with 12 and Alison Havran with 10.

With the win, the Owls improved to 12-6 and will take on Cedar Park Christian on Thursday at 4 p.m. — after the Reporter’s deadline — in a seeding game to determine placement heading into next week’s Tri-District tournament.

Owls ousted in nailbiter

The Overlake boys’ basketball season came to an end — along with the coaching tenure of John Wiley — after the Owls lost to Seattle Academy, 61-59, in the opening round of the Emerald City League Tournament on Tuesday night.

The Owls, who finished the season with an 8-15 record, had a chance to win the game, but a three-pointer at the buzzer was off the mark.

Matthew Poplawski led Overlake with 20 points. Seattle Academy’s Adrian Brandon scored a game-high 22 points and led a fourth-quarter charge that sealed the win.

After the game, Wiley announced he will be stepping down from his position after 15 years of coaching varsity boys’ basketball at Overlake.

“I have two young kids and wife who have been very supportive of all the time away from them,” said Wiley, who will continue as the school’s athletic director. “I’m really looking forward to spending a lot more time together. I have 15 great years of memories of coaching kids and they have taught me so much.”