Spartans win early-season battle
By AARON COE
Herald Writer
STANWOOD — Who is this Josh Ellingson guy anyway?
Friday night’s game in a packed Stanwood gym featured several players with healthy resumes, but it was the 27 points and 17 rebounds of non-starter Ellingson that propelled Stanwood to a 74-61 Western Conference 3A boys basketball victory over the Seagulls.
Everett’s usual suspects — Reggie Limar (22 points, 13 rebounds) and Josh Daniels (20 points, seven rebounds) — kept the Seagulls close for much of the contest.
Stanwood’s tandem of Ryan Appleby (13 points, 12 assists) and Marcus Steele (18 points, nine rebounds) also put forth their typical performances.
In an early-season game between two teams that tied for the league championship last season, it was Ellingson who proved to be the difference.
"Josh loves playing against Reggie," Stanwood coach Nate DuChesne said. "They know each other off the floor, and it’s a huge challenge for him. He gave us a huge boost off the bench."
The game had a playoff-type atmosphere in what was the first conference game of the season for both teams.
The Seagulls stayed with unbeaten Stanwood (5-0, 1-0 in the conference), but Everett (3-2, 0-1) ran out of gas in the waning moments of the fast-paced game.
"We came together as a family at the end," Ellingson said. "Everett is a good team. It was a battle."
The score was tied 30-30 at halftime, and 46-46 late in the third quarter.
The Spartans used a 13-5 run to pull ahead by eight points with four minutes remaining in the game.
Everett’s Brian Price stole the ball away from Stanwood and drove to the hoop to pull the Seagulls within five, 61-55, with three minutes remaining.
But Ellingson, a 6-foot-3 forward, finished off the Seagulls by scoring six points as Stanwood outscored Everett 8-5 and pulled ahead 68-59 with 1:26 remaining.
After a pair of free throws by Daniels, Stanwood closed the game with six consecutive points.
"This was a really big win for us," Ellingson said. "We came together and got it done."
Nerves seemed to be a factor in the early moments of the contest. Daniels drilled two 3-point goals to provide the only scoring in the first 4:30.
Ellingson contributed a hook shot, a layup and a 3 as Stanwood took a 13-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Ellingson’s layup capped a 9-0 Stanwood run as Stanwood took a 30-23 advantage with two minutes left in the half. During the run, Appleby delighted Stanwood fans by circling the ball around his body at high speed before delivering the ball to Steele for an easy basket.
Everett used seven straight points to close out the half and even the score at 30.
Limar’s three-point play put Everett up 34-32 with 5:34 remaining in the third, but Everett would not lead again.
Jihad Ahmad, who started the second half because of his solid play in the second quarter, stole the ball and tied the score at 46 with a layup. Appleby then gave the Spartans the lead for good with his third 3-pointer of the game.
DuChesne said the Spartans are not looking ahead to the next meeting with Everett, but he does know exactly how many games Stanwood plays before then.
"We have six league games before we play them again," DuChesne said. "We have to focus on one game at a time and continue to get better."
Everett |
12 |
13 |
18 |
16 |
— |
61 |
Stanwood |
5 |
13 |
17 |
21 |
— |
74 |
Everett—Ahmad 9, Price 6, Daniels 20, Bjella 4, Limar 22. Stanwood—Reed 4, Parks 7, Appleby 13, Ali 5, Steele 18, Ellingson 27. 3-point goals—Ahmad 1, Price 1, Daniels 3, Parks 1, Appleby 3, Ali 1, Steele 1, Ellingson 1. JV score—Stanwood 62, Everett 54. Records—Everett 0-1 in league, 3-2 overall. Stanwood 1-0, 5-0.
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