Bittersweet.
For Sequim, Friday night’s home win against Bremerton came a bit too late, as the Wolves finished three games behind North Mason for the Olympic League 2A division’s third and final playoff spot.
"It was great in the sense that we got a win for Mike (Silliman, Sequim’s lone senior)," said Nic Thacker, who scored 22 points in the 68-49 win. "But (it was) a little bit frustrating to see that we can play like this. It just drives you for next year."
Ary Webb drained three three-pointers in a row in the first quarter to help Sequim (5-11 in Olympic League, 6-14 overall) gain a 34-20 lead by halftime and 56-33 lead after three quarters.
"Ary was shooting the ball well, Nic was shooting well. When we do that we can be pretty tough," Sequim coach Greg Glasser said. "Our kids have put together stretches of basketball that can compete with anybody. It shows we’re working together better than we were in December. We came a long way. It’s just a shame we don’t have a chance to do a little something in the postseason."
Jarell Flora and Johnny Olwell led Bremerton with nine points each but the Knights let Webb (6-of-9 on three-pointers) and the rest of Sequim’s shooters hit 60-percent from the field.
Collecting nine points and eight rebounds in his final game as a Wolf was Silliman, the 6-foot-6 Sequim post who missed nearly half the season with a knee injury.
The Sequim senior averaged 6.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 11 games.
"I’m totally stoked about the win (but it was) a hard season overall," Silliman said. "We’ve had a lot of fun this year."
Glasser praised his senior for being the team’s top encourager, particularly after missing two months with his injury.
"Mike’s a great man – he’s not only a good basketball player but he’s a quality individual," Glasser said. "He gives us so much more than just a big presence inside."
Dalton Thacker, the Sequim freshman who missed most of the previous game with back spasms led the Wolves with five assists while he was on the court and lay prostrate on the floor between spells.
Clancy Catelli and John Textor added four points each for Sequim.
Nic Thacker, the team’s leading scorer in 2007-08, said he and his brother likely will take a couple of days off … and start practicing early this week, preparing for the 2008-09 season.
"I think that we can be very competitive, especially if we put all the work in that I think we’re going to do," Thacker said. "The new season starts right now for me, for sure."
Bulldogs edge upset-
minded Wolves in Belfair
A shorthanded Wolves squad did their best to knock off North Mason, but their comeback fell just short Feb. 12.
Nic Thacker scored 26 points for the Wolves while Silliman had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds, but they couldn’t stop a patient North Mason team from jumping to nearly double-digit leads in the first and third quarters.
Rocky Guimont scored 12 points and Randy Button added 11 for North Mason. The Bulldogs held Webb, Sequim’s sharpshooter, to just seven points.
The win helped North Mason move ahead of Klahowya for the Olympic League’s No. 2 seed with one game left. North Mason secured that playoff seeding three nights later.
Season notes:
Webb finished the season shooting 48-percent (49-of103) from three-point range and 86-percent from the free-throw line, both tops on the team, while Nic Thacker led the Wolves in both scoring (349 points, 17.5 per game) and rebounding (160, 8.0). Webb was second on the team with 13.3 points per game … Dalton Thacker was third on the team in scoring (6.7 points per game) and led the team in assists (59 total, 3.0 per contest) … Reed Omdal led the team in steals (27, 1.5 per game) … Webb, the Thacker brothers and Textor played in all 20 games, the only Wolves to do so.
Olympic League standings (Final)
• 2A division
Team Lg. Over.
Pt. Townsend 15-1 19-1
North Mason 9-7 14-7
Klahowya 8-8 10-10
Sequim 5-11 6-14
Kingston 0-16 0-18
• 3A division
Team Lg. Over.
Peninsula 11-5 11-9
Port Angeles 11-5 12-9
Bremerton 7-9 7-13
Olympic 6-10 6-13
