by MICHAEL DASHIELL
Sequim Gazette
A first-half funk didn’t sink the Sequim Wolves — not with sharpshooter Alex Barry on the squad.
Barry hit for 22 of his game-high 27 points as Sequim (4-3 in Olympic League play, 8-6 overall) came back from a five-point halftime deficit to top Bremerton 51-42 in Bremerton on Jan. 16.
While Barry paced the offense, Sequim’s defense was the star in the second half, holding the Knights to just 16 points after the break.
“It was a pretty slow-paced game; that may have played into their favor,” Sequim coach Greg Glasser said. “They were making some baskets. (Donovan) Cole had 10 in the first half and was very dominant.”
Cole finished with a game-high 14 for the Knights (3-4, 5-7).
“In the second half we made some adjustments,” Glasser said. “It was kind of a role reversal. We were both playing 2-3 zones. We started to figure out their zone in the second half and they had trouble with ours.”
Barry netted his 27 on 11-of-23 from the field and 4-of-5 from the free throw line, while Jackson Oliver contributed a pair of 3-point bombs and Payton Glasser and Alex Rutherford had five points each.
“We did try to find him (Barry) down low,” Greg Glasser said. “There are so many ways he can score and it’s so hard to stop him because he’s so long. From 15 feet and in, he’s always finding ways to get to the basket.”
Post Josh McConnaughey led Sequim with four assists, finding Barry down low for scores in Bremerton’s interior defense.
Barry added 18 rebounds and two block on the defensive end, while Vance Willis and Dustin Bates had two steals apiece. Willis, Oliver and Glasser chipped in with five rebounds each.
Corralling the Cowboys
Against non-league foe Chimacum on Jan. 14, Sequim scoring star Alex Barry struggled in the first half with foul trouble.
Fortunately for Sequim, Vance Willis and a spirited Wolves squad found their groove in the second half.
Willis scored 19 points, Barry had 12 and Jackson Oliver added eight as Sequim knocked off the Cowboys, 63-49.
Barry, who came into the game averaging 21.3 points per contest, finished 6-of-14 from the field. He had team highs in rebounds (11), block (two) and steals (three), and didn’t commit a foul after he was pulled early in the second quarter.
Oliver and Barry had five assists each, while Dusty Bates had seven points and Payton Glasser added six.
Vikings victorious
North Kitsap’s Ethan Graebner drained a pair of free throws and Sequim’s Adrian Espinoza missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer to send Sequim (3-3 in Olympic League play, 6-6 overall) home with a loss.
Sequim’s Alex Barry scored a game-high 23 points on 10-of-19 shooting and had 17 rebounds and six blocks, and teammate Vance Willis added 19 points and 12 rebounds. But the Vikings (4-1, 9-4) held Sequim to just one-of-17 (6 percent) from beyond the 3-point line and forced 20 Wolves turnovers.
Looking ahead
Sequim was slated to take on Kingston (1-6, 5-9) on Jan. 20 — results were not available at press time. The Wolves are at league-leading Olympic (7-0, 11-3) on Jan. 23.
While the Trojans have a pair of stars in post Jumier Johnson and guard Makaleb McInnis, the team is dangerous in all aspects, Glasser said.
“Olympic has a lot of guys who step up and hit big shots when they need to; they’re a well-rounded team,” he said.
The Wolves host the host North Mason’s Bulldogs (2-4, 7-7) on Jan. 27.
Sequim’s boys and girls play a double-header at Port Angeles on Jan. 30.
SHS’s boys cap the regular season Feb. 3 with a home game against North Kitsap.
