EDMONDS — Stanwood star senior Chase Strieby, the Spartans’ leading scorer, was out with an ankle injury. Head coach Zach Ward was at home with the flu.
If there ever was a night to trip up the high-powered Stanwood boys basketball team, this was it.
But the Spartans kept on rolling.
Stanwood scored 52 first-half points, including 15 straight in the second quarter, and cruised past Edmonds-Woodway for a 85-66 Wesco 3A road win Tuesday night.
“We are a team. Period. End of story,” assistant coach Harlan Roberson said. “I know Chase averages a lot, but we’ve got other guys who can step up and fill his role, just like I filled coach Ward’s role tonight. Next man up.”
Stanwood senior Quinton Borseth led the Spartans with a game-high 21 points, including 17 in the first half, and versatile 6-foot-6 senior AJ Martinka added 20 points. Junior guard Nate Kummer chipped in 11 points and senior guard Bryson Kelley scored 10 as eight Spartans (10-1 overall, 3-0 league) finished with at least five points.
It was yet another high-scoring performance by Stanwood, which topped the 80-point mark for the third time this season. The Spartans have scored at least 70 points in seven of their 11 games and have been held to less than 60 points only once.
Stanwood took advantage of its length — all five starters stand 6-foot-3 or taller — while using zone and pressure defenses to frustrate Edmonds-Woodway into numerous turnovers that led to transition baskets on the other end. And the Spartans put together an offensive clinic, showcasing their wealth of scoring options and expertly sharing the ball for a number of easy buckets.
“We’ve got a lot of unselfish guys,” Roberson said. “We never know whose night it is. Every night, it’s a different guy. We’re missing Chase, our leading scorer, and didn’t skip a beat.”
Strieby, who’s averaging 22.8 points per game this season, has been sidelined since last Tuesday when he suffered an ankle injury two minutes into the team’s opening game at the highly regarded Under Armour Holiday Classic in San Diego. Stanwood went on to lose that game, but the Spartans rebounded with three consecutive victories to claim the consolation-bracket title.
In the process, Stanwood adjusted to playing without its leading scorer. And that helped the Spartans on Tuesday.
“We just came out with great energy in the first half,” Roberson said. “It was kind of a buildup and a continuation of our trip to California, where we found some things and did some good things. It just kind of carried over into practice yesterday and the game today.”
Stanwood scored nine straight points to build a 25-16 lead late in the first quarter and later exploded for 15 consecutive points to extend the margin to 42-21 just past the midway mark of the second quarter. The Spartans stretched their lead to as many as 27 points in the third.
Edmonds-Woodway (8-3, 2-1) began the fourth quarter with eight straight points to chip the deficit to 68-56, but the Spartans quickly pushed the margin back to 18 points to put the game firmly out of reach.
Edmonds-Woodway senior guard Keaton McKay hit five 3-pointers and finished with 20 points. Uchenna Acholonu added 12 points, Edikal Seare scored 11 and Noah Becker had 10 for the Warriors.
“We didn’t play well enough to win the game,” E-W coach Robert Brown said. “We just didn’t handle their pressure.”
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