Stanwood boys hoops escapes Monroe with win

Published 10:25 pm Tuesday, December 13, 2011

MONROE – Josh Thayer was not going to let Stanwood lose.

The sophomore guard scored 26 points — 18 of them coming on 3-pointers — and made a few key free throws in the final quarter to seal a 59-57 Wesco North victory for the Spartans Tuesday night at Monroe High School.

Thayer had half of his 26 points in a back-and-forth third quarter that saw more 3-pointers go in the basket than 2-pointers — for both teams.

“Thayer’s a fantastic shooter,” said Monroe head coach Nick Wold. “He was shooting four feet beyond the (3-point) arc.”

The Spartans would need all of those 3s, as well as three clutch free throws by Thayer late in the game to earn the win. Stanwood led most of the way, but never by more than nine points. Monroe kept chipping away at the lead, the biggest chunk being taken away in the third quarter.

At halftime Stanwood led 23-19, but Monroe scored 23 after the halftime break, more than doubling its score and giving it a 42-41 advantage going into the final quarter.

“So far this season our third quarter has not been our strong quarter,” Wold said. “For whatever reason the shots went down in the third quarter that weren’t going down in the first.”

But then the Bearcats went cold. The Spartans began to pull away during a 10-0 run to start the fourth while every basket Monroe shot bounced off the rim. It took almost five minutes before the Bearcats finally put points on the board, and by that time Stanwood had increased its lead substantially.

With three minutes and five seconds remaining Monroe’s Tony Peloquin made a free throw to end the drought. That ushered in a 6-0 Monroe run to make it 52-48.

That provided a burst of momentum as the Bearcats refused to go away, stealing an inbounds pass and getting two more points off it. But they were forced to foul, and Stanwood took care of business at the free throw line to clinch the win.

“Stanwood competes incredibly hard,” said Wold.

The Spartans, coming off a tough 55-48 loss to Lake Stevens on Friday, were led by Thayer and the 16 points of junior wing Cannen Roberson. After the game, Stanwood coach Zach Ward, along with Monroe’s Wold, praised both players.

“(Thayer) started for three-quarters of the year last year (as a freshman),” Ward said. “He put in a lot of work in the offseason. He’s got legs to play the entire night.”

“Roberson is one of the top versatile players in the conference,” said Wold, saying he could knock down shots from anywhere on the court.

Ward said that he likes the intensity of the Spartans’ defense, but the offense — especially in transition — has to do a better job of closing out games.

“I don’t think we were very good down the stretch,” Ward said. “Hopefully it’s because it’s early in the year and not the style we play.”

Evan Turner helped keep Monroe in the game with a team-high 17 points, including 11 of the Bearcats’ 23 third-quarter points. Peloquin added 12 and Carl Bunge and Mitchell Price provided a spark off the bench with 10 and five points, respectively.

Price came in with 1 minute to go in the third quarter and hit a 3-pointer to give Monroe its first lead since the opening minutes and send the Bearcats fans into a frenzy with the score 42-39.

“Mitchell Price off the bench played well,” Wold said. “He played some great defense.”

Wold said his team couldn’t consistently get defensive stops, but doesn’t think that’s a reason to give up on the Bearcats, a team picked to finish fifth out of six teams in the Wesco North.

“I don’t think we’re gonna roll over,” he said. “Really our goal is just to play better.”

The Spartans coach, meanwhile, doesn’t “really pay much attention to the rankings.”

“It’s about what you do that night,” Ward said.

With the win, Stanwood (2-1 league, 3-1 overall) stays right toward the top of the conference with four games completed. For Ward, he’s just happy to get out of Monroe (1-2, 2-2) with a win.

“It’s a tough place to play,” Ward said. “I’m proud of our kids, they battled through. Both teams. Give (the Bearcats) a lot of credit.”

At Monroe H.S.

Stanwood11121818–59

Monroe1092315–57

Stanwood–M. Garcea 3, Thayer 26, Roberson 16, Stang 0, Zipp 2, B. Garcea 3, Williams 6, Sears 3. Monroe–Bunge 10, Jones 5, Turner 17, Day 2, Peloquin 12, Price 5, Cochran 4, Trujillo 0, Houmann 2. 3-point goals–Thayer 6, Roberson 1, B. Garcea 1, Bunge 2, Jones 1, Turner 3, Price 1. Records–Stanwood 2-1 league, 3-1 overall. Monroe 1-2, 2-2.