agles win championship
The quest for a championship for the Snoqualmie Middle School seventh-grade boys basketball team came down to a “Battle of the Birds.” The Eagles entered the game with an 8-1 record and needed a win to stake claim as champions of the Foothills League. They did just that with a 48-42 clincher.
The first quarter was a sign of the intensity of this battle as the score was knotted at 9-9. Taylor Campbell was the first Eagle to register points in the scorebook and the two teams proceeded to exchange buckets until the first stanza expired. Jordin Kinnune found a crease in the Hawk perimeter defense and launched a three-ball from the corner that split the iron and stretched the nylon to give the Eagles a brief three-point lead.
Tenacious perimeter defense by Trey Botten, Brett Duncan and Dillon Shaine kept the Hawk shooters from getting good looks at the rim and helped the Eagles maintain their lead. Zander Nelson kept the Eagles’ offense rolling by scoring seven consecutive points to end the half with the Eagles ahead 20-18. The two teams pushed the pace up a notch in the third quarter as Code Blair opened the second-half scoring. The Eagles then used a trapping defensive press to create a turnover that led to a deuce from Zac Pearlstein. The Hawks continued to claw their way back into the game and by the end of the third quarter the slim Eagle advantage had been cut in half to one, 34-33.
The Eagle defense began to limit the opportunities for the Hawks as the fourth quarter proceeded and fueled a fastbreak opportunity for SMS and a hoop for Nelson. As the Hawk defenders focused their attention on the Eagle interior, Kinnune drilled what proved to be the final nail in the CKMS coffin from beyond the arc. The Hawks tried to rally but two free throws from Kinnune, another bucket by Nelson and a steal by Justin Downer clinched the 48-42 victory and an Eagle championship. Nelson led the Eagle scoring parade with 20 while Kinnune put home 16 and Campbell chipped in eight.
For the Hawks it was a tough loss, but several players contributed strong efforts. Tanner Riley had 24 points while Lucas Zupan had 13 points and 13 rebounds. Aaron Moetului had three rebounds, Drew Handy played excellent defense, Gehrig Uhles had seven points, Josh Murphy had two points, Rosco Castagno and Brian Guse both played well defensively and Edgar Tarp had two rebounds.
Hawks win ‘Battle of the Birds’
The Chief Kanim Hawks eighth-grade varsity basketball team traveled to Mount Si High School last week where they won the annual “Battle of the Birds” game 52-27. The Hawks used intense defense and controlled the boards as they finished the season 8-2. This group of athletes finished their middle-school career with a record of 17-3.
Joey Evans led the effort with 11 points, Tyson Riley had seven points and six assists, Chad Billings had 10 points, Alex Hiebert had four points, Spencer MacEwan had two assists, Brian Johnson had four points and nine rebounds, Josh Snow had six points, Zach Brevick contributed eight points and pulled down seven rebounds and Zach Kirchmeyer had two points and four rebounds.
JV teams wrap up season
Recently, the seventh and eighth-grade JV teams at Chief Kanim ended their seasons. The seventh-graders lost to a hot shooting Snoqualmie Middle School team, 25-8. The eighth-grade team won t48-39. Scott Paophaviahn led the effort with 19 points and Tucker Edward King had 14. Matt Fischer added eight, Jeff Adams hit four, Sean Mims had two and Zach Guyer had one.
SMS seventh-graders victorious
The Snoqualmie Eagles seventh-grade boys basketball JV team defeated the Chief Kanim Hawks 25-8 recently at Snoqualmie Middle School. The Eagles played tough defense and limited the Hawks’ scoring opportunities to only four points in each half.
Garret Rohan, Calvin Mahan and Cody Lane each scored six points in their final game of the year.
Coach Jerry Hillburn said, “I want to thank the parents of these players. It is a pleasure to work with such fine young men.”
