Luc Violette is once again a junior national curling champion. And this time he was the one calling the shots.
Violette, a Lake Stevens native, was the skip for the team that claimed the 2020 Junior Men’s National Championship on Jan. 12-18 in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
For Violette, in his final year of junior eligibility, it was his fifth junior national title, tying Chris Plys for the most junior national titles in U.S. history. However, it was the first time Violette skipped the team to a championship, and it was his draw for one point in the 10th end that gave Team Violette a 6-4 victory over Team Tuma in the championship match.
Team Violette finished a perfect 8-0 at the tournament, going 7-0 in round-robin play to earn an automatic berth to the final. The other members of Team Violette were Graem Fenson, Ben Richardson, Jon Harstad and Riley Fenson.
Violette and company earned a berth to the 2020 World Junior Championships on Feb. 15-22 in Krasnoyarsk, Russia. Last year Vioilette was a member of Team Stopera, which placed fifth at worlds in Nova Scotia.
EvCC, EdCC split top-of-standings hoops games
The Everett Community College and Edmonds Community College men’s and women’s basketball teams split their Saturday doubleheader at Edmonds in a pair of games pitting teams toward the top of the Northwest Athletic Conference North Region standings.
In the men’s game Everett, ranked sixth in the latest NWAC coaches poll, edged Edmonds 83-80. Glacier Peak High School graduate Bobby Martin hit the go-ahead jump shot with 34 seconds remaining, then Cameron Underwood padded the lead with a pair of free throws. Undewood finished with 20 points and Martin had 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Trojans (2-1 league, 15-3 overall). Curtis Walker led Edmonds (2-1, 10-7) with 20 points and eight boards.
In the women’s game, Edmonds used five points in the first minute of overtime from Gieana Balino to create separation and went on to win 84-75. Rachael Balagso scored 17 points to lead the Tritons (3-0, 6-10), who are alone atop the North Division standings. Mariner High School graduate Hannah Hezekiah went off for 41 points for the Trojans (2-1, 10-8) in a losing effort.
If you have an item for the community sports roundup, email Nick Patterson at npatterson@heraldnet.com.
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