Eatonville Cruisers fall short in two hard-fought contests

The Eatonville Cruisers boys basketball team faced tough competition last week, dropping two hard-fought contests to the Washington Patriots and Steilacoom Sentinels.

Dec. 16 – Washington Patriots 80, Eatonville Cruisers 61

Eatonville opened Tuesday's matchup against the Washington Patriots with intensity, aiming to snap their losing streak. A fast-paced first quarter saw the Cruisers finish strong, utilizing a 10-0 run to lead 24-16, fueled by Amari Samuel’s 12-point explosion.

The Patriots responded early in the second, using a 9-0 surge to edge ahead 28-27. Eatonville and Washington traded baskets throughout the period, but a late 5-0 Patriots run sent the Cruisers into halftime trailing 35-33. Turnovers plagued Eatonville in the second quarter, as nine miscues allowed the Patriots to seize momentum.

Washington capitalized in the third, initiating a 7-0 spurt and closing the frame on a 6-0 run to extend their lead to 56-44. A 5-0 burst to open the fourth sealed the Cruisers' fate. Despite Eatonville’s efforts, Washington’s 8-0 closing run secured an 80-61 victory.

Samuel led Eatonville with 26 points, while Lowell McWright contributed 12. Jeremy Osborn Jr. added 9 points, Colton Herbrand chipped in with 8, and Nate Goode provided 6 points and 7 rebounds.

“We are in all of these games we have played so far this year,” said first-year head coach Josh Bennett. “If we don’t turn the ball over the way we did, that game looks a lot different than the final score showed. I'm proud of the guys — we rebounded much better and they are really taking to heart the coaching staff’s challenges and game plans. We will be on the other side of these games soon.”

Dec. 19 – Steilacoom Sentinels 75, Eatonville Cruisers 73

Thursday’s contest against Steilacoom was a thriller, with the Cruisers narrowly falling 75-73 after a heartbreaker in the final seconds.

Eatonville forced six Steilacoom turnovers in the opening quarter but trailed 19-15 after a late 6-0 Sentinels run. The Cruisers countered with a 10-0 burst in the second to take a 27-23 lead. Despite nine turnovers in the quarter, Eatonville entered halftime tied 34-34 after Steilacoom closed with an 11-7 run.

The third quarter featured scoring swings from both teams. Eatonville’s 11-0 run gave them a 10-point cushion at 52-42, but Steilacoom rallied with a 10-3 run to trim the lead to 59-55 entering the final frame.

Steilacoom opened the fourth on a 10-0 run to reclaim the lead, but Eatonville answered with a 7-0 spurt to move ahead 72-70. Following a pair of Sentinels free throws, the game was knotted at 72. A late Cruiser free throw gave them a 73-72 edge with 19 seconds to play, but Steilacoom’s Chace McSherry hit a clutch three-pointer to seal the win.

Eatonville had one final chance with 6 seconds to play, but Samuel was called for traveling on the last possession.

Samuel poured in a career-high 34 points, while McWright added a season-best 23 points, including for three-pointers. Herbrand scored 7, Goode had 4, Osborn Jr. 3, and Axel Stammen contributed 2.

“I am proud of the team — they accepted the coaching staff’s challenges about taking care of the ball,” Bennett said. “We had our least amount of turnovers in a game all season, and we were right there at the end. A lot of guys stepped up due to foul trouble. I’m extremely proud of them. We had a lineup out there in the fourth quarter that hadn’t had much practice time together, but they battled. As a coach, there is nothing better than seeing your team play with heart and compete until the end. We are so close to being on the other side of these games.”

Looking ahead, Bennett hopes the return of key players Michael Stogsdill, Nash Sherrard, and Jake Brannon will provide a boost.

The Cruisers (0-4) now enter the Christmas break and return to action on Dec. 30 against the Rainier Mountaineers, with tip-off set for 7 p.m. Following that, the team will head to Arizona for the Coyote Basketball Invitational from Jan. 2-4.