Edmonds Woodway boys win without their top two scorers
Published 11:46 am Wednesday, January 16, 2008
EDMONDS — With their two best scorers sidelined because of injuries, the Edmonds-Woodway Warriors had to find a way to hang with the No. 1 team in the division.
It seemed like an insurmountable challenge, but Edmonds-Woodway got through it thanks largely to a Max effort.
Senior guard Max Ortiz picked up the scoring slack for the depleted Warriors, scoring 18 points to lead E-W to a come-from-behind victory Tuesday over the Mariner Marauders. Ortiz scored half of his team’s points in the fourth quarter as E-W outscored Mariner 18-7 in the final period to win the Western Conference South Divison game 50-45.
With the victory, E-W moved into a three-way tie with Mariner and Meadowdale for first place in the division. The teams are all 8-2 in Wesco South contests with six games to go.
With usual starters Connor Donaldson and James Conti out with a knee injury and a sprained ankle, respectively, E-W didn’t have players who average a combined 28.1 points per game. But Ortiz and fill-in starter Kyle McCartney (12 points) fueled a confident squad that rallied from an eight-point third-quarter deficit.
McCartney, a senior wing, and senior guard Antoinne Wafer (six points, six rebounds, five steals) played well as E-W’s replacement starters.
“We obviously want (Donaldson and Conti) to be there and we want them healthy, but I have confidence in my teammates to step in,” said Ortiz, who scored a driving layin that put E-W on top 47-44 with 63 seconds to go. “I see it every day in practice. At any other school in the district these guys could be starters.”
Senior wing Joey Dillon made three 3-point baskets and led Mariner with 12 points. The Marauders had won eight consecutive games since losing to E-W 48-45 Dec. 11.
“A lot of times when teams are missing their best players, sometimes they come together more and guys step up,” Mariner coach Dexter Griffen said. “(Ortiz) stepped up and they made some plays. Our best guys didn’t make plays for us.”
E-W was behind 38-32 entering the final quarter. It took the lead for good with 1:24 remaining when post Kenan Polovina and Wafer combined to make four free throws in 10 seconds.
Earlier in the quarter Griffen was whistled for a technical foul after Sean Laue (six points, six boards, five assists) was fouled on a driving layin. Laue’s basket gave E-W a 41-40 lead, but he missed his foul shot and Ortiz missed both technical-foul shots.
Frustrated by the technical-foul call, Griffen said after the game he was hollering at one of his players to get in the correct position on defense, not pestering an official.
Laue and McCartney essentially clinched it for E-W in the final 10 seconds by combining to go 3-for-4 on free throws.
Ortiz’s 18 points were a season high. The key, he said, was being more aggressive: “(E-W head coach Gail Pintler) was telling me, and James and Connor were telling me too, to just assert myself a little more and take more shots and be confident, and that’s what I did.”
Said Pintler, “When (Conti) is gone, we are losing our best leader. But we’re not falling very far off bringing in (Ortiz and Wafer).”
Donaldson could be out two more weeks and Conti will probably sit out one more game, Pintler said.
At Edmonds-Woodway H.S.
Mariner1110177—45
E-W1461218—50
Mariner – J. Dillon 12, Chhann 4, T. Dillon 7, Bastys 6, Purnell 5, Malysheff 3, Minor 4, Doerscher 4. Edmonds-Woodway – Ortiz 18, McCartney 12, Wafer 6, Enquist 4, Laue 6, Polovina 4, Reilly, Wilson. 3-point goals – J. Dillon 3, T. Dillon 1, Ortiz 2, McCartney 1. JV score – Edmonds-Woodway 50, Mariner 35. Records – Mariner 8-2 league, 11-2 overall. Edmonds-Woodway 8-2, 11-3.
Contact Herald Writer Mike Cane at mcane@heraldnet.com. For more high school sports news, check out the prep sports blog Double Team at cmg-northwest2.go-vip.net/heraldnet/doubleteam
