Sixth Double-A Win 

Sets Stage for East

By JOHN K. SMITH

Sun Sports Writer

Fast-breaking, sharp-shooting and well-stocked with reserve strength, the West Wildcats move on down the class AA tournament trail with six victories and no blemishes en route to Friday nights’s crosstown clash with the East Knights.

Meantime, West host the Stadium Tigers tomorrow in Capital rematch of an early season squeaker won by the Tacomans. Game will be only the third circuit class of the campaign for West which has yet to defeat a Tacoma opponent.

Saturday night, West battle on virtually even terms through the first half before exploding for 27 third quarter and an eventual 81-62 AA conquest of the North Kitsap Vikings at Poulsbo.

ALL FIVE starters hit double figures, including a 20-point effort by slick guard Leon Leslie. Forward Les Dicks accounted for 14; both Fred Kegel and Steve Schumacher had 12. Center Dan Shedwin picked up for personal fouls in the first half and saw limited duty the rest of the way but he managed to score 10.

Jerry Williams, tireless workhorse of the Vikings, who plays forward but also is in charge of ball handling and team generalship, tallied 20 to knot game individual honors. Guard Joh Eliason has 15 in NK support.

Score was tied again and again through the first two periods. Then North would get in front by three. West would spurt ahead by three and then it would be locked up again. At halftime the margin was West’s, 36-33.

Keeping the bigger players in action but inserting his fastest backcourt operators with frequent changes coach Bob Smith sent his Wildcats into a press at the start of the third quarter and the move couldn’t have been more effective.

KEGEL, shorter than most of his front line mates, sank 10 points in the next eight minutes including a beautiful rebound tip of a wild ball that had caromed off the backboard. Schumacher, moving to forward, contributed six points on three goals and Leslie added six too, in what turned into a semblance of a rout.

NK battle back gamely although the Viks were behind by 17 going into the fourth period. The hosts did close the count slightly at various points of the concluding session but each time the fired-up Wildcats, obviously playing their best of the season, pulled away and actually increased the final margin to 18.

NK was playing again without several varsity members who have been home ill. Reserves came largely from youngsters promoted from the B team.

BUT NOTHING would have made any difference in the outcome. West was the hottest shooting team in the area putting in 33 of 52 field goal attempts for a fabulous 63 per cent. NK made only 14 of 49 from the floor for 29 per cent.

Viking strength showed up at the free throw line where the NK five poured in 22 of 35 chances while West was netting 15 of 32 opportunities.

Friday’s clash at West will match the two quintets unbeaten so far on the AA tourney trail. West is 5-0, East is 5-0.

NK entertains SK in another AA battle Friday.

Statistics

B Team Game

West (61) - Matlock 1, Gordon 7, Gran 8, Richardson, Shute 11, Egan 4, Chamberlain 4, Jackson 4, Munns, Pudas 4, Costello, Watson 6, Tobacco 12;

NK (21) - Erickson, Nordberg 4, M. Eliason 6, Mandio 7, Nelson, Wilcox, Johnson, Swanson, Morely 2, Yeager, McNabb, Dietz 2, Tout, Smallbeck.

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Silverdale, Manette Top PeeWee Loop

Silverdale and Manette carry on unbeaten in Kitsap County Peewee association basketball leadership but Silverdale got a stiff scare this weekend while Manette was breezing by.

Silverdale topped Warren Ave, 28-26 behind the 15-point play of Bill Segerman.

Manette banished Poulsbo 20-4, paced by Mel Sokolowsky’s eight counters.

In other results, North Perry crunched Chico, 22-12. Sheridan Park trimmed West Bremerton, 20-12, and Naval Avenue nipped Bainbridge, 27-20.

Silverdale and Manette both are 3-0 in front of 2-1 records by North Perry, Sheridan and Naval, Chico, Warren, and Poulsbo all are 1-2 and both West Bremerton and Bainbridge have lost three in a row.

Naval’s Frank Jackson was second high individual with 10 points. Other leaders were Rick Herdman of Warren and Terry Showman of North Perry with nine and Rick Lewis of Chico with seven. James Simmons, Randy Goakey and Don Blandford each had five in the Sheridan victory.

Next Thursday, Bainbridge hosts Manette at 7 p.m. Friday, both at 7, Silverdale entertains Naval while West Bremerton and North Perry vie at Marion. Saturday, Poulsbo brings in Sheridan at 1:30 p.m. and Chico is at home to Warren at 7.