February 22, 2023
ISSUE 8
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Cruiser boys fall to Wildcats in season-ending loss By Skip Smith
Contributing writer
After losing by doubledigits in their first two meetings in the season, the Elma Eagles snatched away Eatonville’s chances of playing in the district championship game for the second consecutive year when they shocked the No. 1-seeded Cruisers, 78-69, last week. Despite three starters not feeling well, Eatonville kept pace with Elma at the start and ended the first quarter tied at 17. The Cruisers used a 14-3 run to open the second quarter, fueled by Shay Brannon's 11 points, before the Eagles cut into that lead, with the teams heading into halftime with Eatonville ahead, 35-29. Elma fired back in the third quarter to even things up at 51-51 as the quarter came to an end. In the final period, Elma grabbed the lead midway through as the shots for Eatonville stopped falling. This forced the Cruisers to foul to stop the clock and sent the Eagles to the freethrow line. Elma hit 20 out of 25 attempts from the charity stripe to hold on for the win. The Eagles shot 86 percent on the night, going 31-for35 from the line, a big factor in their win.
Todd Hobert | www.toddhobert.com Eatonville head coach TJ Cotterill goes over a play during a timeout in the Cruisers’ game against Elma on Feb. 14. The Cruisers fell to both Elma and La Center last week to end their season. Brannon led the Cruisers with 22 points. Kyle Cox was just short of another doubledouble with 10 points and nine rebounds. That loss dropped the Cruisers into the consolation bracket to take on the La Center Wildcats in a loser-out game on Thursday at Montesano High School.
LA CENTER LOSS Illness and injuries were ultimately the downfalls for the Cruisers in the SWW 1A District 4 playoffs as they fell to La Center, 81-59, on Thursday night at Bo Griffith Memorial Gymnasium in Montesano. The loss ended the Cruisers’ season. With two of their All-
League starters, Walker Bruun and Griffin Clevenger, out sick for the game, the Cruisers started the game with a 4-0 lead, but the Wildcats soon outdistanced them and led Eatonville 22-18 at the end of the first quarter. On the Cruisers’ first possession of the second quarter, they lost another
starter as Cox came down wrong on his ankle and rolled it, which ended his night. The Wildcats extended their lead to as many as 10 points in the quarter, but Eatonville cut into the lead and narrowed the deficit to four points with two minutes left. The Wildcats battled back to BOYS Page 4Æ
Cruiser girls ousted from playoffs; season ends at 13-9 By Skip Smith
Contributing writer
Facing elimination, the Eatonville girls basketball team ran into a buzzsaw Feb. 15 in Montesano as the Cruisers took on
the Hoquiam Grizzlies in a loserout contest in the SWW District 4 playoffs. In the end, the Cruisers could not tame the Grizzlies, as Hoquiam took the win, 60-36, at Bo Griffith Memorial Gymnasium
at Montesano High School. Eatonville got into foul trouble early and had to sit a few of its starters for long periods, which hampered their offensive production. After falling behind early in the
first quarter, Eatonville could not climb back out of the hole and trailed by 18 at the half, 32-14. The Cruisers’ offense started to click in the second half, and GIRLS Page 5Æ