Cruisers Fall To Wildcats, Ending Their Season

After being defeated by the Cruisers by double digits in their first two meetings earlier in the year, the Elma Eagles used those losses as fuel to get back at Eatonville. The Eagles would snatch the Cruisers' hopes of playing in the district championship game for a second year in a row when they shocked the #1 seeded Cruisers 78-69.

The Eatonville Cruiser boys basketball team poses for a photo on media day prior to the season starting. Photo: Katie Cotterill

Playing with three of their starters not feeling well before tip-off, Eatonville managed to hang with the Eagles. The teams ended the first quarter tied at 17 apiece.

The Cruisers would use a 14-3 run to open the second quarter, fueled by Shay Brannon's 11 points, to lead by as many as 14 in the quarter before the Eagles cut into that lead before heading to the locker room at halftime with Eatonville leading 35-29.

Elma would fire back in the third quarter to even things up as the quarter came to an end. The teams would head into the final quarter knotted up again, this time at 51-51.

In the final period, Elma would grab the lead midway through as the shots for Eatonville were just not falling. This would force the Cruisers to foul to stop the clock and force the Eagles into free-throw shooting situations. Elma would attempt 25 free throws in the quarter and make 20 of those as they held on to down the Cruisers.

The Eagles shot 86% on the night going 31-35 from the line. That was a big factor in their win.

Shay Brannon led the Cruisers with 22 points. Kyle Cox was just short of another double-double with 10 points and 9 rebounds.

That loss dropped the Cruisers into the consolation bracket to take on the La Center Wildcats in a loser-out game on Feb. 17th at Montesano HS.

ELMA 78, EATONVILLE 69

Eatonville 17 18 16 18 - 69

Elma 17 12 22 27 - 78

Eatonville: Shay Brannon 22, Kyle Cox 10, Griffin Clevenger 10, Hunter Klumpar 9, Walker Bruun 9, Mark Nueva 5, Shane Taylor 4

Elma: Traden Carter 22, Cason Seaberg 17, Grant Vessey 12, Anthony Holmes, 10, Theodore Flores 9, Gibson Cain 8.

Illness and injuries were ultimately the downfalls for the Cruisers in the SWW 1A District 4 playoffs as they fell to the La Center Wildcats 81-59 on Thursday night at Bo Griffith Memorial Gymnasium in Montesano and were eliminated from the playoffs and their season ended.

With two of their All-League starters, Walker Bruun and Griffin Clevenger out sick for this game, the Cruisers started off the game on a 4-0 run to take an early lead, but that lead didn't stay for long. The Wildcats got their offense flowing and led Eatonville 22-18 at the end of the first.

On the Cruisers' first possession of the second quarter, they would lose another starter as Kyle Cox would come down on his ankle wrong and roll it. It would be the end of the night for him. La Center would be able to extend that lead to as many as ten points. However, Eatonville would start to cut into the lead and cut it down to four points with 2 minutes left. The Wildcats would battle back to take a nine-point lead into halftime at 42-33.

Eatonville would come out of the locker room fired up and put together an 8-2 run to get back in the game and then cut into the lead, even more, to trail 44-43 midway through the third quarter.

As they had done all game, the Wildcats would extend that lead again and Eatonville would trail by ten points at the end of the third quarter, 55-45.

The final period was the ultimate dagger for Eatonville as La Center started the quarter on a 6-0 run and outscored the Cruisers 26-14 to grab an 81-59 victory and end Eatonville's season.

"We had so many guys step up tonight. We believed our depth would show and we'd get it done, but that's a talented team La Center has and they were tough. We battled and it just got away from us in the fourth quarter" Head Coach TJ Cotterill said. "If a few more plays went our way before then, it would have been a different story. I love this team and I hate that this season had to end like this for them. This is such an incredible, fun, and selfless group."

Eatonville finished the season with a 13-9 overall record, 7-1 in the Evergreen Conference, and 1-2 in district 4 play.

Cotterill did a terrific job taking over the reins from Mark Swartout to lead his team to another Evergreen Conference title and the district playoffs.

"I don't think I have the words to say how special this season has been. I'll remember it forever. I hope they will, too. Coaches don't just get to step into groups as special as this, and they embraced everything we brought from day one. We saw every player at some point step up and lead us, said Cotterill.

As mentioned earlier, injuries hurt the Cruisers this season.

"Between Jake Wood, Walker, Griffin and then Kyle, it's so hard to understand how this team deserved all that adversity. Despite that they were right there. I am so proud of them and all they will continue to do as the great people they are," Cotterill stated.

The Cruisers will lose three starters to graduation, Shay Brannon, Walker Bruun, and Kyle Cox. They will also graduate players Jake Wood and Shane Taylor. The other two starters, juniors Hunter Klumpar and Griffin Clevenger will return next season to help lead the Cruisers.

LA CENTER 81, EATONVILLE 59

Eatonville 18 15 12 14 - 59

La Center 22 20 13 26 - 81

Eatonville: Shay Brannon 23, Hunter Klumpar 21, Mark Nueva 11, Shane Taylor 4.

La Center: Boston Walker 22, Austin Nixon 15, Colby Hylton 12, Logan Rainey 9, Jayce Grotte 8, Garrett Maunu 6, Anthony Larkin 5, Ryan Kawalek 3, Parker McKinney 1.