Mariner wins ‘gritty’ boys basketball game
Published 11:41 pm Thursday, February 7, 2008
MUKILTEO — Since it was a rivalry, Thursday night’s matchup between Mariner and Kamiak was bound to be gritty.
Of course, Mariner wouldn’t have welcomed it any other way.
When they weren’t on the floor after loose balls or climbing each other’s backs for rebounds, the Marauders were getting downright brash on defense. All of it resulted in a 54-35 defeat of Kamiak that should set the tone nicely from here on out.
“Mariner-Kamiak is always a gritty game, but we like that kind of game,” Marauders head coach Dexter Griffen said. “Over the years, you can ask anybody and they’ll tell you that’s the way we like to play.”
The Knights scored just 14 field goals on the night.
Kamiak (6-10) finished the regular season in a tie for fourth place with Mountlake Terrace in Wesco South. The Knight play the Hawks at 7 p.m. Saturday at Kamiak, with the winner advancing to the Class 4A District One tournament.
The two teams split a pair of games this season, each winning on the other’s home court.
“It’s really evenly matched. We’re real similar,” Kamiak head coach Greg Turcott said of his team and Mountlake Terrace. “It seems like we’d have an advantage playing at home, but we might actually be better off at their place.”
Mariner already had a district spot locked up going into Thursday night’s game, but the Marauders still played like they had everything to lose — especially down the stretch.
Mariner led 36-31 going into the fourth period and it was still just a 38-33 game when the Marauders ripped off 14 unanswered points to knock the wind out of Kamiak. The Knights were able to muster only four points in the final period.
“We knew they would come out tough, but we really fought well,” said Mariner post Damascus Purnell. “It’s usually a back-and-forth game when we play them because we both really want to win.”
Purnell was the go-to guy for the Marauders down the stretch. With a slim lead, Mariner simply pounded the ball inside, and the beefy 6-foot-4 junior responded with nine fourth-period points, including a layup that sparked the game-clinching run.
“This was a good win for us,” Griffen said. “We have some good teams coming up and we’ll have to play really well, so it was good to get this one tonight.”
At Kamiak H.S.
Mariner10121418—54
Kamiak13513 4— 35
Mariner — Purnell 16, Chhann 11, T. Dillon 9, J. Dillon 5, Bastys 4, Doerscher 3, Minor 3, Malysheff 2. Kamiak — Este-McDonald 9, Stormo 9, Dremlyuga 5, Ruppel 5, Parcells 4, Ju. Glenn 3, Brown. 3-point goals — Este-McDonald 2, Dremlyuga 1, Ruppel 1, Chhann 1. Records — Mariner 12-4 league, 15-5 overall. Kamiak 6-10, 7-12.
