Wildcats’ hot start continues
Published 9:00 pm Tuesday, December 12, 2006
ARLINGTON – The Oak Harbor boy’s basketball team accomplished something Tuesday night they hadn’t done in the prior two seasons combined: They won a third game.
The Wildcats defeated Arlington 69-64 in an intense Wesco North game at Arlington High School. With the win the Wildcats (2-0 in league, 3-0 overall) surpassed their previous win totals of the past two seasons.
Oak Harbor finished 2-18 overall last season and 0-20 in 2004-05.
Oak Harbor head coach Mike Washington was excited after the win. “I can’t describe how I feel right now to come down here and beat a team like Arlington. It’s all about hard work,” Washington said.
Washington is in his first season as a high school basketball coach and seems to be off to a good start.
Washington said he believes part of the early success of the basketball program may be due to the success of the Wildcats 4A state championship football season.
“I think it carries over because we have Marshall (Lobbestael) and also (Rodrick) Rumble. That intensity has just turned over into our program, and to our team. It’s a blessing to have those guys on our team,” Washington said.
Lobbestael, the quarterback of the football team, scored five points, and Rumble, a wide receiver in the fall and a forward in winter, single-handedly kept Oak Harbor in the game in the first half when he scored 16 of his 18 points. The junior scored 10 in the second quarter, including four straight midway through the period to give Oak Harbor its first lead of the game at 24-23, and his scoop shot early in the fourth quarter gave the Wildcats its biggest lead of the night at five points, 51-46.
“Rodrick played an incredible game. He’s a very gifted player,” Arlington head coach Nick Brown said.
After Rumble’s scoop shot, though, Arlington would reel off a 6-0 run behind two Andrew Disotell 3-pointers to regain the lead. Disotell scored 11 points in the game, nine coming on three fourth-quarter 3-pointers.
Oak Harbor guard James Leach matched Disotell’s 3-pointer with one of his own to give the Wildcats the lead back at 54-52.
Leach also matched Disotell with nine fourth-quarter points, none bigger than the two free throws he hit with 13.8 seconds remaining in the game.
Leach missed the front end of a 1-and-1 but was able to grab his own rebound after Arlington mistakenly thought that it was a two shot foul. He was quickly fouled after the rebound, and he made the next two attempts to give the Wildcats a five-point cushion.
“We played with our hearts but made a couple mental lapses at the end. I was happy with our play,” Brown said.
Oak Harbor’s Dallas Heidt added 15 points, six in the third quarter, and Leach finished with 18 points and six rebounds.
The Wildcats’ 2-3 zone defense seemed to stifle the Eagles late in the game.
“Every day in practice we preach hard work. It’s all about fundamental basketball, jumping to the ball on defense. Nothing is done without enthusiasm and believing we can win,” Washington said.
The Wildcats forced eight turnovers in the second half and the Eagles struggled shooting the ball.
“We just couldn’t seem to counter and we seemed to go flat,” Brown said.
Arlington (0-1 in league, 0-4 overall) was led by Abe Bourasaw’s 17 points and nine rebounds. The senior center scored six in the third quarter.
Eagles point guard Kevin Gray added 12 points and dished out a number of assists.
“I was happy with Gray’s leadership on the floor,” Brown said.
Oak Harbor next plays a non-conference game against Kent-Meridian on Saturday.
At Arlington High School
Oak Harbor1122132369
Arlington161612206
Oak Harbor-Rumble 18, Leach 18, Heidt 15, McCardle 7, Lobbestael 5, Koorn 4, Waller 2. Arlington-Bourasaw 17, Gray 12, Disotell 11, Hawkins 8, Carpenter 8, Caudle 5, Gunter 3. 3-pointers-McCardle 2, Leach 2, Heidt 1, Lobbestael 1, Disotell 3, Gray 1, Carpenter 1. Records-Oak Harbor 2-0 in league, 3-0 overall. Arlington 0-1, 0-4.
