SPOKANE — An 8-0 run out of the halftime break and Tyler Swan’s triple double allowed No. 5-seed Neah Bay to go up big in the third quarter and the Red Devils kept the No. 3 Moses Lake Christian/Covenant Christian squad at bay down the stretch in a 62-54 state quarterfinal victory Thursday.
The Red Devils (19-5) will face No. 2 Wellpinit in the Class 1B state boys basketball tournament semifinals tonight at 5:30 p.m. at the Spokane Arena, the first trip to the state semifinals since the 2015-16 team broke through for the school’s first state basketball championship.
That team was coached by current Neah Bay head coach Stan Claplanhoo.
Each team came to play in Thursday’s quarterfinal with the Red Devils taking a 19-17 lead after the first quarter on Tyler Swan’s short jumper with less than 5 seconds to go.
Swan scored 10 of his team-high 14 points as Neah Bay held a 31-24 advantage — Moses Lake buoyed by the three first-half 3-pointers by its sharpshooter, Jonah Robertson.
Makyah Chambers sparked the Red Devils out of the halftime break, hitting a 3 to open the third quarter, scoring on a layup and finding Jodell Wimberly for what turned into an old-fashioned three-point play and a 39-24 lead just over a minute into the second half.
Moses Lake didn’t go quietly, however, as Johnny Ferguson found space for the free-throw line jumpers and Robertson hit his fifth 3 of the contest and the Lions pulled as close as 50-43 with less than five minutes to go.
Swan played a little point forward in the half-court in the final minutes, as he found Daniel Cumming with smooth passes on two successful 2-on-1 situations inside to go back up double digits.
Neah Bay hit enough from the free-throw line late to stave off any Lions’ comeback attempt, going 5-for-13 in the fourth quarter as a team.
The Red Devils are assured of a top-six finish at state, the school’s 12th state boys basketball trophy since 1967-68.
Neah Bay 62, Moses Lake Christian/Covenant Christian 54
Neah Bay 19 12 18 13 — 62
Moses Lake 17 7 10 18 — 54
Neah Bay (62) — Swan 14, Chambers 11, Wimberly 11, Cumming 10, Jimmicum 7, Woodruff 6, M. Greene 3.
Moses Lake (54) — Jo. Robertson 16, Ferguson 16, D. Gulenko 6, Jones 5, Ja. Robertson 4, M. Gulenko 3.
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Sports reporter/columnist Michael Carman can be contacted by email at sports@peninsuladailynews.com.
