FORKS — Forks did the work defensively and did damage offensively in an 81-12 demolition of North Beach to open Pacific League girls basketball play Tuesday
“It all started on defense for us and that led to getting easy shots,” coach David Hurn said. “We were able to force turnovers and attack the rim — and we focused on that because we didn’t create enough easy looks against Rainier.”
Senior Keira Johnson led Forks with 33 points, her second 30-plus point game of the season.
“Keira was 15 for 16 [shooting] from the floor and hit 2 of her 3 3-point tries,” Hurn said.
Forks hit 4 of 9 from outside as a team.
Younger sister Bailey Johnson also contributed heavily. She scored 10 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, dished seven assists and swiped five steals.
“An all-around great game,” Hurn said of Johnson’s play.
“We attacked the rim in our half- court set, we were back to sharing the basketball, we had 19 assists, and that always picks up your teammates. We put our heads down, tried to be ultra aggressive and played 1-on-1 hero ball too much against Rainier, so there was much better balance and flow.”
Forks (2-2) visited Neah Bay Wednesday and travels to play Evergreen (Seattle) today.
Forks 81, North Beach 12
NB 3 7 0 2 — 12
Forks 30 19 17 15 — 81
Forks (81) — K. Johnson 33, B. Johnson 10, Peters 10, Ramos 8, Gaydeski 7, Neel 4, Dilley 4, Hampton 3, Nandial 2.
Rainier 56, Neah Bay 41
RAINIER — The Red Devils suffered their first defeat since a season-opening loss to Sequim last December.
“We struggled defensively. We were two steps late. We didn’t help the helpers,” coach Cherish Moss said.
“When our defense is off, our offense is off.”
Moss said the loss will be good for her defending state champions.
“We needed to feel the burn of a loss. It will be a good motivator for us,” Moss said.
Boys Basketball
Crescent 59, Crosspoint 32
BREMERTON — The Crescent boys basketball team outscored Crosspoint, 26-6 in the second quarter to take control of the game in a 59-32 win.
With the win, the Loggers improved to a record of 3-1. After the second quarter, Crescent held a 44-17 lead and they cruised in the second half.
“After the first quarter, our defense really ramped up and we did an excellent job of contesting shots and rebounding the ball. We didn’t have the best offensive second half, but our defense was pretty darn solid,” said coach Chris Ferrier.
Lukas Love led the team with 19 points and also had double-digit rebounds, Ferrier said. He said Peyton Watson also crashed the glass effectively. Conner Bauers had 14 points and Dominiq Sprague nine.
Crescent next plays in a round-robin home tournament Saturday against Thorp at noon and Concrete at 7 p.m.
Crescent 59, Crosspoint 32
Cres. 18 26 7 8 — 59
Cross. 11 6 7 6 — 32
Crescent (59) — L. Love 19, Bauers 14, Sprague 9, H. Bourm 7, M. Love 6, Watson 6, Grooms, Jackson.
