10 Best: Shorecrest Scots vs. Stanwood Spartans
Stanwood wrapped up its regular season with what’s quickly becoming a routine for the Spartans as they clinched their sixth consecutive league title with a 75-61 victory over Shorecrest. After the teams combined for 28 points in the first four…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingStanwood wrapped up its regular season with what’s quickly becoming a routine for the Spartans as they clinched their sixth consecutive league title with a 75-61 victory over Shorecrest. After the teams combined for 28 points in the first four minutes, Stanwood’s defense clamped down on the Scots in the second half as the Spartans won the Wesco 3A league with a perfect 12-0 record against teams in its conference. And, with just one loss this season, the Spartans hope to make some noise in the postseason.
MVP: Chase Strieby. On senior night, Strieby led Stanwood with 18 points and added five rebounds for the Spartans in his final regular-season game at Stanwood. Strieby led a balanced Stanwood scoring attack with the 6-foot-6 post finding the net early and often in the contest.
Play of the game: In a back-and-forth first half focused on offense, senior Henry Oldow made a 3-pointer in the final two seconds of the first half to break a tie and give Stanwood a 43-40 lead at the break. The Spartans, seizing the momentum, would never trail in the game again after Oldow’s shot and a 12-4 run to start the second half.
Best offensive performance: Chase Strieby. Strieby led all scorers and made big shots to end several Shorecrest runs as the Scots tried to rally late. Strieby had 12 of his points in a fast-paced first half that saw the two teams trading leads throughout the first two quarters.
Best defensive performance: AJ Martinka. Seniors performing well on senior night was a theme for Stanwood. Martinka, a four-year varsity player for the Spartans who has lost just one regular-season league game in his four years at Stanwood, had six rebounds, three steals and two blocks to go along with his 11 points.
Best guy off the bench: Cameron Plautz. The 6-foot-4 senior (obviously) scored all nine of his points in the second half and added a team-high nine rebounds for Stanwood. A key member of the Spartans’ rotation, Plautz was instrumental in Stanwood’s fast start in the third quarter that helped the Spartans distance themselves from Shorecrest.
Best intangibles: AJ Martinka. Martinka found himself in foul trouble in the contest and his absence showed for the Spartans when the 6-foot-6 guard was off the court. Martinka drew his coach’s praise for deflecting a pass into the back court and sprinting after the ball despite it being incredibly unlikely he would be able to retrieve it before it rolled out of bounds. Martinka’s hustle was evident on several plays, including a dunk late in the game that capped an incredible regular season for the senior.
Best under-the-radar performance: Malcolm Rosier-Butler. Rosier-Butler made several shots early in the game as Shorecrest battled with Stanwood. The 6-foot-2 senior guard, who has been a key contributor for the Scots this season, finished with 13 points and three steals
Best underclassman: The game was played entirely by juniors and seniors, so this space is going to be used to highlight a shot from Stanwood junior Trygve DeBoer. DeBoer had one of the most impressive plays of the game when the guard, who is listed at 5-foot-10, drove and lobbed a shot over Shorecrest’s 6-foot-8 center Philip Pepple and into the net. DeBoer finished with six points in the game.
Best performance from the free-throw line: Shorecrest junior guard Chris Lee was a perfect 10-for-10 from the charity stripe with the bulk of his team-high 16 points coming from the free-throw line. He had almost half of Shorecrest’s points in the third quarter with all of them coming on free throws.
Best rebounder: Philip Pepple. When you’re 6-foot-8 you have a good chance of winning this award every night. The Shorecrest star had a game-high 10 rebounds and posted a double-double adding 11 points. Pepple threw down three dunks for good measure as the center towered over most of the Stanwood team.