— by Ed Sutton —
The Orcas Island High School men’s basketball team began its quest for a slot in the 2016 State Basketball Tournament following the afternoon game yesterday which pitted the Lady Vikings against the Wolverine squad. The Friday Harbor gym was packed with fans including a vocal contingent from Orcas. Tip-off for the men’s game was at 5:30 with Jordan Randolph, Aiden Kruse, Brother Murphy, Vanya Bullock and Miles Harlow starting for the Orcas squad.
Like the earlier game, a spirited contest in the early stages of the game slowly swung in favor of the Wolverine squad ending in a 38-54 final score.
During the first quarter, the play was frantic; end-to-end hustle by both teams. The Friday Harbor team took advantage of several tall players and controlled the inside game. The shorter Orcas squad had difficulty moving the ball inside and trailed at the first break, 9-16. The second quarter was played to a draw, each team scoring twelve points, so at halftime the Orcas squad only trailed by seven.
Halftime in the Friday Harbor gym was cacophonous, meaning REALLY LOUD. The Wolverine band pounded out fight songs and the local fans went crazy. The Island teams had played each other earlier in the season and entered this contest with records of 9-5 for Orcas, and 11-3 for FH.
The second half began with the same group of starters and the battle continued. The height advantage became increasingly difficult to overcome as Orcas could not develop an inside game, relying on the shorter guards trying to shoot from outside or press through traffic inside the paint.
The final score was similar to the earlier game as Friday Harbor prevailed 38-54. Scoring for Orcas was lead by Harlow (9), Murphy (9), Randolph (8), Bullock (6) and Kruse (5).
The Orcas Vikings men’s squad will play in Sedro Wooley on Saturday and strive to stay alive in the playoffs. As with the ladies competition, a second lose will end the season. A win will result in another opportunity to advance with a game against the loser of the LaConner/Friday Harbor game. GO VIKINGS !!
Note: Orcas Issues is an official sponsor of the Orcas Athletics Booster Club
