Boys basketball: Franklin Pierce ends Sequim’s season at districts

Sequim struggled to stop Franklin Pierce and their star guard Javon Barbee in the early going and the Wolves’ season came to a close with a 67-48 bi-district boys basketball tournament defeat on Feb. 15.

Barbee, son of longtime Cardinals’ coach John Barbee, is a highly touted prospect in the Class of 2025. He scored 18 of his game-high 26 points in the first half as Franklin Pierce cruised to a 45-16 halftime lead.

“Franklin Pierce is good,” Sequim coach Craig Brooks said. “We struggled against their pressure and Barbee is a strong player.”

Sequim finished 10-11 on the season.

“I am proud of the way our guys grew and developed,” Brooks said.

“We gave ourselves a chance to make it to state.

“The program will be better because of the effort these guys put in this year. We had great leadership from our seniors.”

Wolves win opener

In the final game on their home court, Sequim High seniors made sure it wasn’t the final one of their season.

Shrugging a off a cold first half shooting from beyond the arc, the 11th-seeded Wolves started to find their range and held off a pesky 14th-seeded Evergreen (Seattle) squad 73-61 to advance in the West Central District tournament on Feb. 13.

Keenan Green paced Sequim with 21 points, including three key second half 3-pointers, and fellow senior Lars Wiker buried a timely 3-pointer late in the third quarter to put the Wolves into the consolation semifinals, two wins from a state 2A tourney berth.

Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell Sequim’s Charlie Grider, right, blocks a shot by Evergreen’s Mohamed Abdi in the second half of the Wolves’ 73-61 bi-district tournament win in Sequim on Feb. 13.

“At this point in the year, we were able to come together [for the win],” Brooks said, crediting the team’s leaders and some late lock-down defense for pulling out a win in a game full of runs.

Sequim was active in the first half, pressing the Wolverines into multiple turnovers, working the offensive glass and beating Evergreen down court for easy baskets. The Wolves also took advantage of Wolverine star Matthew Fiso getting into early foul trouble.

But Evergreen, thanks to Sequim’s frigid start from the outside (the Wolves didn’t sink a 3-pointer in the first half) and some timely shots from Amen Hassan, turned the Wolves’ 22-16 first quarter lead into a 31-30 Wolverine advantage by halftime.

“In the first quarter, we executed really well,,” said junior Charlie Grider, who had 11 points, three blocks and a team-high 16 rebounds. “I think we just got too comfortable with our lead.”

The Wolverines surged ahead further in the start of the third quarter, taking a 40-34 lead on a Fiso bucket.

That’s when the SHS shots started to fall. Mason Rapelje’s 3-pointer with 4:30 in the third period sparked a 13-0 SHS run that included three triples from Green.

“Normally we’re a good three-point shooting team,” Grider said. “We just had to not let that [Evergreen run] get us down.”

Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell Sequim’s Solomon Sheppard, center, defends Evergreen’s Miguel Delgado in the first half of the Wolves’ 73-61 bi-district tournament win on Feb. 13. Looking on is Sequim’s Keenan Green.

Sequim sophomore Solomon Sheppard fueled the defensive effort with key steals and halfcourt pressure; he finished with 16 points and five rebounds.

Fiso looked to keep Evergreen close, but wound up scoring 12 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter, when Evergreen had to foul.

“He was hard to stay in front of,” Brooks said off the Evergreen senior.

In the waning moments, Green who paced Sequim with five assists — sank six of eight free throws, clinching the Sequim victory.

Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell / Sequim’s Solomon Sheppard, right, steals the ball from Evergreen’s Leebaan Sami in the first half of the Wolves’ 73-61 bi-district tournament win on Feb. 13. Looking on is Sequim’s Mason Rapelje (20) and Charlie Grider.