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Upset keeps Jacks alive
What a difference a few days can make.
Last Friday the Quincy High School boys basketball team closed out its regular season schedule on the road by scoring a measly 23 points against Ellensburg and losing by 23 points.
Fast forward to Monday. The Jacks played the same opponent at the same venue, but this time the stakes were higher. On the line was the right to gain access to the Central Washington Athletic Conference district tournament, and the “third time’s the charm” rule came into effect for Quincy as it pulled off its second big upset of the season by beating the Bulldogs 45-43.
“It’s just great to see the kids work hard and do it the right way. (They) aren’t the prima donnas and aren’t cocky and they’re good kids,” coach Wade Petersen said. “They’re good kids, work hard, and it is nice to see them get rewarded.”
The difference in the Jacks’ play came as a result of more intensity, improved defense and 22 points by junior Luke Grigg. It was a result Petersen expected despite last Friday’s outcome.
“He said, ‘You guys seem to pull it together when you have to,’" Grigg said, “so that was our mindset.”
Eighth-seed Quincy (5-16) advances to face fourth-seeded Grandview (12-7) today at 7 p.m. in Grandview. On the other half of the bracket, East Valley (8-11) travels to Selah (15-5).
Quincy 45, Ellensburg 43
The first two battles of the season between the teams were won by Ellensburg by a combined score of 116-73. So this time, Quincy decided it wasn’t going to be a gracious guest and took a 7-1 lead after the first quarter. But Ellensburg battled back in the second quarter with 15 points and a trio of 3-pointers to grab a halftime lead of 16-13.
The Bulldogs showed why they were a fifth seed with the perimeter shooting of Reeve Ravet (14 points) and Ethan Sterkel (seven points) and the post game of 6-foot-6 Brian Pfeifer (10 points).
“We wanted to be careful we didn’t double down too far off the shooters, Sterkel and Ravet,” Petersen said. “It’s a hard cover. They have a good inside guy and some good outside shooters. It makes it hard defensively, but our kids were up to the task and I couldn’t be more proud as a coach.”
Sterkel had just one bucket in the second half, but Ravet and Pfeifer combined for 17 second-half points.
In the third quarter, Grigg (three rebounds, three assists) came alive with the help of Luis Sorto (10 points, three steals, two assists). The two combined for a 9-0 run in a two-and-a-half minute span to help the Jacks grab a 28-23 lead. The run was started with a 3-pointer by Grigg and ended with a steal and assist from Sorto to Grigg.
“There was a couple of huge steals between Luis and Luke when we got those layins,” Petersen said.
Once the game got into the fourth quarter, Quincy found itself in a real battle as the lead changed several times. Ravet hit a trio of 3s, but the Jacks had an answer with a putback by Chase Petersen (five points, four rebounds, three steals, two assists), a steal and a layup by Grigg and another steal and layup from Sorto to grab a 43-40 lead with three and a half minutes to go.
“We wanted to be a little more attacking tonight than last time, but obviously Pfiefer is a real good shot blocker and real tough inside. We wanted to get the ball a little closer and not just settle for 3s,” Wade Petersen said. “We didn’t shoot that many tonight compared to last time.”
Pfeifer knotted the game at 43-43 with a free throw and a putback at the 2:19 mark. Quincy came back down the court looking to milk the clock and Grigg appeared to be stripped of the ball at the top of the key. He collected the loose ball and turned and found an open lane to an uncontested basket and 45-43 lead with 1:44 to go.
“We were fired up and had the energy,” Grigg said, “and we clicked.”
Both teams missed shots down the stretch, and with 21 seconds to go Ellensburg called a timeout to set up an opportunity to send the game into overtime or win.
“And of course it came down to one stop. They came down, ran a play and couldn’t get anything and they called a timeout,” Wade Petersen said. “That really is what I believe basketball is. It is one possession. Can you stop them? This is for the game. It is just exciting.”
The Jacks allowed zero looks at the basket for 16 seconds and the Bulldogs called another timeout with 4.9 seconds left. They inbounded the ball, but their final shot fell short and the Jacks finished a win over a team they could not touch in the regular season.
“We got the stops and everybody covered their areas,” Petersen said. “The defense tonight was a lot more solid than the other night.”
Ellensburg 46, Quincy 23
Ellensburg’s Joe Montano scooped up 15 rebounds and scored seven points to help pace the host Bulldogs to 46-23 win over the Jacks.
“We just didn’t come ready to play and had no intensity,” Petersen said.
Quincy was led by Jay Cedergreen and Grigg, each scoring eight points. But the Jacks were limited to six first-half points and trailed the Bulldogs 20-6 at the break.
