Hudson’s Bay’s Eric Ryapolov said he couldn’t recall the last time, if any this season, a lockerroom was as loud post game as it was Saturday night at Union High School.
“It was something special,” the senior said.
That’s because a mere nine days after the Eagles’ boys basketball team won its first league game, they’re postseason bound following their 67-55 win over Fort Vancouver in a 3A Greater St. Helens fourth-place tiebreaker game to secure the league’s final berth into the bi-district tournament.
It’s been a wild week and a half for the Eagles, who now travel to face North THurston of Lacey (19-1), winners of the South Sound Conference, to open bi-district play, at 7 p.m. Thursday in Thurston’s gym.
Eli Hoover’s 22 points and season-best 15 rebounds, including scoring 16 of the team’s first 21 points of the game, and 18 points from Ryapolov helped give Bay the No. 4 seed.
But first, Bay’s 54-50 win Friday over Fort in the regular-season finale in league play was the third must-win game to keep the team’s playoff hopes alive.
That set up Saturday’s tiebreaker with the Trappers for the fourth and final playoff spot.
Bay led 28-27 at halftime behind 16 of the team’s 21 points by Hoover, and the third quarter is when Quadrese Teague gave the Eagles the lead for good. He scored nine of his 13 points in the final 1:33 of the quarter on three 3-pointers as Bay took a 50-41 lead into the final eight minutes.
Hudson’s Bay began the season 7-1 overall but stumbled when 3A Greater St. Helens League play started. After a 68-50 loss to Prairie, Bay sat at 7-9 and on an eight-game losing streak.
Team chemistry has since changed, Hoover said.
“Coach (Theo Mikaele) got us thinking the right way,” he said, “and making sure we didn’t give up.”
That made a difference Saturday, too, when Bay’s lead bloomed to as high as 55-41 — its highest of the game — inside 6 minutes to play, a vast difference from its close contests its had the past 10 days.
Bay now is winners of four straight, its longest winning streak since late December.
“If we keep it together and win as a family and play for each other,” said Ryapolov, who had 14 of his 18 points in the second half, “we can go pretty far. Each person is talented in their own way. That’s what brings us together.”
James Husband, Jr., led Fort with 20 points and Jameel Morton added 10 before fouling out in the fourth quarter.
HUDSON’S BAY 67, FORT VANCOUVER 55
Fort Vancouver — Dakota Jones 7, James Husband, Jr. 20, Johnny Green 3, Travis Huffman 9, Jameel Morton 10, Vinnie Bennett 3, Ezekiel Block 2, Tre Cannon 0, Myron Lawrence 1. Totals 19 (9) 7-11 55.
Hudson’s Bay — Julio Vara 0, Demareya Gipson 6, Quadrese Teague 13, Eli Hoover 22, Nicholas Campbell 3, Marco Cadiz 3, Eric Ryapolov 18, Travion Weiss 2. Totals
Fort 10 17 14 14 – 55
Bay 14 14 22 15 – 67
