MONROE — On balance, this was a nice act.
With their four most familiar names unavailable — Murray, Powell, Watts and Redwine — the Snohomish County Explosion found the requisite horsepower to cool off the Central Oregon Hotshots 131-110 in an International Basketball League game Saturday night at Monroe High School.
“We didn’t have any of our big names, but everybody is starting to play good team ball,” said assistant coach Mike Moss who was filling in as head man for Redwine for the second straight game. “Not doing that earlier in the season got us in trouble, but right now we’re playing the way we practice and that’s great.”
Jamal Miller scored a game-high 29 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, added five assists and sparked a third quarter flurry that buried the Hotshots.
Miller wasn’t operating in a vacuum. Alex Adediran (26 points, 13 rebounds) and Justin James (a season-high 25 points) made big contributions.
Not lost in the shuffle was 3-point shooting specialist Chris Weakley who stepped out of character with a season-high 11 assists and just missed a triple-double (eight points and eight rebounds).
“That’s a season-high … for the whole season,” Moss laughed about Weakley’s assist total.
Mike Boyle’s play at the point (10 assists) was so solid that Moss successfully shifted Miller to shooting guard in the third quarter and Miller responded by draining all five of the 3-pointers he attempted in the pivotal period.
Both teams operated with make-shift lineups.
Central Oregon (8-16) was without four players including double-threat Terry Horton — the IBL’s No. 2 rebounder and No. 10 scorer — who watched from the bench with a debilitating migraine headache.
Meanwhile, the Explosion (12-9) was missing their three biggest guns in Donald Watts (illness), Justin Murray (undisclosed injury) and Rashaad Powell (family obligation).
With that talented trio unavailable Redwine was at least spared the challenge of mustering up a lineup. Redwine missed both of this weekend’s games while attending his grandson’s high school graduation in Florida.
Things were tough all over. Heck, even the Explosion dance team was as short-handed as the Kingston Trio.
Still Moss was able to coax a victory out of a group that has relied on Watts’ leadership all season and hammered Tacoma Friday night behind Murray’s team-record 58 points and 14 rebounds.
This, despite the efforts of Central Oregon’s Jadae Bonds (28 points, six rebounds), Phillip Freeman (20 points, eight rebounds) and Shawn Hampton (14 points and a game-high 15 rebounds).
Making things easier for Moss was Miller who erupted for 21 points in the third quarter when the Explosion broke open a close game.
After trailing by as many as 10 points in a back-and-forth first half, Central Oregon drew to within 74-72 with just over eight minutes remaining in the third period.
But, Miller made five 3-pointers over the next three-plus minutes — and added three assists — as the Explosion surged to a 95-77 lead and never looked back.
At Monroe H.S.
Central Oregon24333122—110
Snohomish Co.24384227—131
Central Oregon—C. White 14 , Nixon 18, Espinoza 8, Bonds 28, Woods 8, Hampton 14, Freeman 20. Snohomish Co.—Miller 29, Weakley 8, James 25, Boyle 2, Keller 12, J. White 7, Gwynn 14, Adediran 26, D. White 8. 3-point goals—Freeman 3, Nixon 2, White 1, Espinoza 2, James 3, Miller 6, Weakley 1, J. White 1. Records—Central Oregon 8-16, Snohomish Co. 12-9. Attendance—862.
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