KENT — Sequim’s two big guns, Jayson Brocklesby and Gabe Carter, combined for 24 points to help the Wolves punch their ticket to state at regionals.
Sequim commanded a 15-point halftime lead and then held on in the second half to shade Hockinson of Brush Prairie 51-48 in the 2A boys basketball regionals at Kent-Meridian High School on Saturday evening.
The Neah Bay boys basketball team, meanwhile, stomped Waterville 76-44 in the 1B regionals Saturday to advance to the state tournament this week.
The Sequim Wolves (21-4), who head to state for the first time since 2009, will take on Renton (23-2) in the 2A quarterfinals Thursday morning at the Yakima Valley SunDome in Yakima.
The game starts at 10:30 a.m.
Winners in Thursday’s first-round games will earn trophies as six of the eight teams at state will place.
Quarterfinal winners play in the semifinals Friday with those victors moving on to the state championship game Saturday night.
The semifinal losers play for third-fifth place Saturday.
Thursday’s quarterfinal losers play loser-out games Friday with the winners meeting for fourth-sixth place Saturday.
Also in Sequim’s upper bracket are Burlington-Edison (17-8) and Pullman (24-1) while lower bracket teams include West Valley (Yakima) (21-2), Lynden (23-1), Anacortes (20-5) and Clover Park (19-6).
In 2A regional action, Brocklesby scored a team-high 13 points on 6 of 9 shooting from the field (67 percent) and he had two steals while Carter added 11 points on 4 of 8 shooting from the floor (3 of 5 from 3-point range).
Carter, who also had a team-high six rebounds and five assists, joined Brocklesby on the all-Olympic League first team.
The Wolves (21-4), who will play at state for the first time since 2009, took a quick 11-2 lead and increased it to 21-10 at the end of the first quarter, led 32-17 at the break.
But the Hawks (14-11) rallied in the second half to get within three points late in the game.
Hockinson missed a 3-point shot in an attempt to tie at the buzzer.
Jack Klodt, who scored 16 of his game-high 25 points in the second half, rallied the Hawks to the near upset.
The Wolves, though, were able to make plays down the stretch to hold off Hockinson.
Rory Kallappa, who made 7 of 8 free throws, sank 6 of 6 in the fourth quarter to keep the Hawks at bay.
Kallappa ended up with nine points and two steals in the game while Alex Barry had nine points, five rebounds, three steals and three assists and Anthony Pinza added nine points, three rebounds and two assists.
The Wolves shot 47 percent from the field (18 of 38) as Pinza was 3 of 5 and Barry was 4 of 8.
The 2A state tournaments runs Thursday through Saturday at the Yakima Valley SunDome in Yakima.
Sequim 51, Hockinson 48
Hockinson 10 7 17 14— 48
Sequim 21 11 11 8— 51
Individual scoring
Hockinson (48)
Klodt 25, Hagen 10, Rennaker 5, Gunderson 3, Ellersohn 3, Yearout 2, Beckley, Krahn.
Sequim (51)
Brocklesby 13, Carter 11, Kallappa 9, Pinza 9, Barry 9, Guan, Christensen.
Neah Bay 76, Waterville 44
BOTHELL — After easily disposing of the Shockers in the regionals, the Red Devils (15-2) now take on the Taholah Chitwins (9-2) in the 1B quarterfinals at Spokane Arena on Thursday night.
The Red Devils captured third place in state last year and are the highest-placed returning team in 2013. Sunnyside Christian claimed fourth last year but no other team at state earned a trophy in 2012.
Neah Bay, winner of 15 of their past 16 games, will play Taholah at 9 p.m. Thursday in the quarterfinals of the eight-team tournament.
Two games ago, the Red Devils lost a 65-64 heartbreaker to Cedar Park (which didn’t make it out of regionals) in the tri-district championship game.
Neah Bay had won 14 consecutive games at that point, last losing to 1A Forks on Dec. 12 in its first game of the year.
“I think that one-point loss really helped us out,” Neah Bay coach Gerrad Brooks said.
“We had to refocus on defense, and it put fire in the boys. They really wanted to get back [to state].”
Defense defines the Red Devils.
“Defense is our style of basketball, it is our key,” Brooks said.
Defense jump-starts the Neah Bay fast-break offense.
“We make it a track meet,” Brooks said. “We are blessed with a lot of athletic kids, who are excited for another opportunity at state.
“We’re looking forward to getting at it.”
Brooks said he doesn’t know a lot about Taholah, except he knows the Chitwins’ offense has a couple of pretty good shooters.
“They have a couple of good athletes who can shoot the ball,” he said.
Of course, those shooters will have to contend with the Neah Bay defense, which has rediscovered itself at the right time.
Waterville (16-7) didn’t have a chance against the surging Red Devils on Saturday evening at Lynnwood High School.
Neah Bay’s Ryan Moss led three players in double figures with 18 points while Zeke Greene netted 14 and Abraham Venske added 11.
Josiah Greene dished out a game-high five assists while Leyton Doherty had a game-high six steals to go with his three assists.
Zeke Greene had five steals to go with his 14 points.
The Red Devils will be healthy going into state.
Tyler McCaulley, who was injured three games ago with a bone bruise, was back for the Waterville contest, scoring six points.
Winners in Thursday’s state first-round games will earn trophies as six of the eight teams at state will place.
Quarterfinal winners play in the semifinals Friday with those victors moving on to the state championship game Saturday night.
The semifinal losers play for third-fifth place Saturday.
Thursday’s quarterfinal losers play loser-out games Friday with the winners meeting for fourth-sixth place Saturday.
The Red Devils also have Soap Lake (18-4) and LaCrosse-Washtucna-Kahlotus (19-5) in their lower bracket while Columbia Adventist (8-3), Sunnyside Christian (20-2), Christian Faith (20-3) and Pomeroy (18-7) populate the upper bracket.
Neah Bay 76, Waterville 44
Waterville 9 13 11 11— 44
Neah Bay 16 22 24 14— 76
Individual scoring
Waterville (44)
Abramse 10, Pietrondrea 9, Parcells 7, Clements 3, Caballero 3, Edgar 6, Peterson 2, Shate 4, Thomsen, Newcomb, Stibal.
Neah Bay (76)
Moss 18, Z. Greene 14, Venske 11, J. Greene 8, Doherty 8, McCaulley 6, Claplanhoo 3, Halttunen 2, Buttram 4, Reamer 2, Martinez, Royster.