Braves Sports, Jan. 11, 2012

Photo by Karla Reynolds

Ben Rolton  of the Morningstar Breakers traveling Australian team trying for a shot and eluding Braves' defenders Jonah Cook, Tyler Howlett, and Spencer Novak during last week's hoop action in La Conner. 

Playing basketball is Australian for fun

By Bill Reynolds

The guys from Down Under nearly came out on top last week at James Gym.

Which was okay with all involved because both sides were deemed winners in the much anticipated La Conner High-Morningstar Breakers hoops matchup.

“It was a lot of fun,” Braves’ head coach Scott Novak said after La Conner’s 83-70 triumph over the Melbourne select squad. “That’s one of the big reasons we do this.”

The fun started prior to tipoff when the teams took part in a traditional gift exchange. The Aussies presented commemorative clocks and key chains, while La Conner players responded with colorful Braves’ tee-shirts.

What followed was a fast-paced, up-tempo contest in keeping with La Conner’s tradition of hosting talented Australian traveling teams, dating to early in Novak’s tenure here.

“Every three years,” he said, “the WIAA (Washington Interscholastic Activities Association) allows us to play an international team from some place other than Canada. This is the fifth time we’ve had a boys’ team here from Australia.”

Because of Australia’s location well south of the equator, the Breakers were in La Conner during what is akin to the American summer break, noted Braves’ assistant Danny Hagen.

“It would be like us going somewhere in July,” he said, “because the seasons are flip-flopped.”

The temperature in Melbourne, for instance, was in triple digits when the Breakers arrived in cool, damp La Conner.

But the globetrotting visitors brought the heat with them in terms of torrid shooting. This was especially true in the late going, when they cut into a seemingly safe 40-24 La Conner halftime lead.

“You never like to give up 70 points,” said Novak, “but this was a very solid team. They did a nice job.”

Josh Watt led the Breakers with 18 points, 10 of which came after intermission.

Ben Rolton scored 12 of his 14 points, including a perimeter trey, in the second half.

Agile 6-9 post James O’Connor chipped in 10 tallies, six before halftime.

Jacob Smith (8), Zach Smith (7), Mark Whitehead (5), Nick Bird (4), and Ethan Bowering (4) also scored for the guests.

Whitehead’s total included a jumper from beyond the arc.

“This,” stressed Novak, “was easily one of the best Australian teams we’ve played.”

La Conner’s Landy James led all players with 32 points, scoring both in the paint and behind the three-point stripe.

James buried two treys and wowed fans with a pair of dunks.

Mike Wilbur (19), Spencer Novak (13), and Jonah Cook (11) were likewise in double figures for the Braves.

Wilbur iced the game with six straight free throws to thwart a late Breakers’ rally.

Novak, meanwhile, helped fuel a fast start for La Conner, which led 56-36 at one point. He scored 11 points in the first half, meshing two three-pointers in the second period.

Tyler Howlett rounded out the Braves’ scoring with eight points.

The La Conner stop was just one of many travel highlights for the Australian team.

“They’ve toured Vancouver and Seattle,” said coach Novak, “and they’ll go on to Los Angeles for a Clippers game and other events.”

While in Seattle, the Breakers played traditional big school power Mercer Island and visited the famed Pike Place Market.

During the La Conner leg of their trip, they stayed with host families and enjoyed an on-campus dinner.

The Australians impressed both in terms of demeanor and speech.

“From everything I saw,” said Braves’ assistant Carl Buher, “they were a really good group of kids.”

Which meant the accent last week in La Conner was truly on fostering goodwill.

Photo by Bill Reynolds

Strong finish cements Lady Brave win at Concrete

By Bill Reynolds

La Conner saved its best for last Friday in Concrete.

The Lady Braves rebounded from a slow start to win their fifth game in six NW 1A/2B starts with a 49-33 verdict over the hosts.

La Conner’s Katie McKnight hit back-to-back jumpers, including an outside trey, to trigger a decisive 13-4 La Conner run in the third period.

It was for McKnight what La Conner head coach Scott Novak called a “break out” game.

And it couldn’t have come at a better time.

The Lady Braves, who trailed 24-23 at halftime and were on the verge of being upset, seized command when McKnight found her range from the baseline and out top right after the break.

McKnight’s three-pointer and layup on a run-out, sandwiched around two Priscilla Ponce-Venegas free throws, helped quickly turn the slim La Conner deficit into a 34-24 Lady Braves’ lead.

The margin swelled to 36-24 moments later when La Conner’s Aubrey Stewart, who tallied eight points, drilled a 10-footer.

Kylee Warner broke a six-minute Concrete scoring drought with a 15-foot jumper, but by then the issue was pretty much decided.

“One of the keys,” Novak said, “is we changed up our defense and only allowed Concrete nine second-half-points after allowing 24 in the first half.”

Ponce-Venegas led all scorers with 21 points, all but three coming from the floor.

“Priscilla had an excellent game,” said Novak.

One that went well beyond her scoring.

Working much of the night along the baseline, Ponce-Venegas also grabbed a team-best 10 rebounds, six off the offensive glass.

Nikki Finley (3), Alyssa McCormick (2), and Kelley McClung (2) rounded out La Conner’s scoring.

Finley got LaConner on the board first. She sank three charity tosses after being fouled on an early trey attempt.

McCormick was perfect on two free throws, while McClung earned kudos afterward for her all-around game, which included four steals, two rebounds, and an assist.

“Kelley really played well defensively,” Novak stressed.

Jessica Filtz paced Concrete with seven points. Her put-back and free throw gave the Lady Lions a brief 20-16 edge late in the first half.

La Conner, which improved to 7-4 overall, was at Friday Harbor in Tuesday’s late action. The Lady Braves are slated to host Cedar Park Christian this Friday, Jan. 13, before traveling Saturday to Seattle Academy.

Photo by Melissa Reynolds

La Conner tames Lions with first half flurry

By Bill Reynolds

The buzz going into La Conner’s league showdown Friday at Concrete was all about Lions’ shooting star Tyler Clark.

But Clark was eclipsed early by Braves’ guard Spencer Novak, who enjoyed an un-bee-lievable first half.

Novak stung the Lions with what many courtside observers, including iconic La Conner record holder Gail Thulen, said later was likely the best shooting performance in recent school history.

Novak hit 11 of 12 first half shots, including two from behind the arc, to help give the Braves a commanding 60-25 lead at intermission.

La Conner went on to cruise to an 85-42 triumph.

“I have to agree with Gail,” La Conner head coach Scott Novak, Spencer’s dad, said afterward. “Spencer’s first half was a good as I’ve seen a high school player play in a half.”

The younger Novak’s stat line at halftime read: 26 points, four assists, and three steals.

Or, roughly, the same numbers posted by the entire Concrete team.

Novak, who finished with a season-high 28 points, had plenty of help, Braves’ coaches stressed.

“It was a great effort,” said coach Novak. “The boys really took care of business in the first half.”

Landy James (19), Tyler Howlett (12), and Mike Wilbur (11) joined Novak in double figure scoring for La Conner.

Skyler Krueger (6), Cameron Sherman (4), Wil James (3), and Jared Fohn (2) rounded out the Braves’ attack.

James and Wilbur, like Novak, each buried treys. Howlett chipped in three rebounds and a pair of steals and was perfect (four-of-four) at the foul stripe.

Krueger led the Braves with six rebounds, while Fohn was coming off a superb Tuesday outing against Orcas in which he knocked down three treys.

Sherman hit both his field goal attempts at Concrete, and Wil James worked inside for a hoop and free throw.

Jonah Cook led all players with two blocked shots, and Braves’ teammate Bobby Poulton  battled inside for five boards.

In addition to Novak’s marksmanship, the large crowd on hand was left buzzing afterward by Landy James’ poster quality dunk.

Novak was extending a hot shooting streak at Concrete that had begun the prior week during a second quarter flourish in La Conner’s key non-league comeback victory at Toutle Lake.

Clark ended up leading all scorers with 31 points, most coming in the second half.

With the win, the Braves remained unbeaten, 6-0, in league play and improved to 11-1 overall going into Tuesday’s late action at Friday Harbor.

La Conner is slated to resume play this Friday, Jan. 13, at home opposite Cedar Park Christian. The Braves visit Chief Leschi on Saturday.

in the January 4, 2012 issue...

Click Classifieds above to read this week's ad page (Alex fixed the link).

Photo by Karen Lynn

Until a La Conner woman stepped into their lives, tourists just stepped around these children as they slept huddled together on a street in Nepal. Here from left are Rahul Bk, Susil Bk, Jamuna Nayarni and Abisek pose in their new clothes. The boys are about 10, and the girl is 13. 

 Street orphans capture woman's heart

Read the heart warming story of these children written by Karen Lynn, an instructor at Crescent Moon Yoga.  In today's paper

  Photo by Don Coyote

The good, the bad, the ugly...

Reporter Alexander Kramer, now a journalism major at Western Washington University in Bellingham, is conducting a study on our readership.

Please take a few minutes to take our 10-question survey and tell us what you like and what you think we should be doing better. The button is on the right of the page.

 

Sea scouts program is afloat

Writer Adrian Sharpe has the story on the Rotary Club's efforts to revive the La Conner Sea Scout program is back.  Skippers and a crew have been recruited.

  To join or volunteer please contact Lee Carlson at lee.carlson211@gmail or 360-466-0127 or Sea Scout Kane Stokes at 360-610-5179. 

From the Police Blotter: 

4:57 p.m.: Found – A customer left their keys in a business in the 100 block of First Street in La Conner and they were later returned. Yep, it's been real exciting around here.

Read your favorite columnists in today's paper. Jim Smith, Mickey Bambrick and Mel Damski are in fine form.

Paper hit the streets today, it's in the red quarter-consuming news boxes and on the counters at both gas stations, in the liquor store, book store and drug store. Or call and have us send it to your home or office for $30 per year. 466-3315.

 

  

Braves Sports, Jan. 4, 2012

Photo by Bill Reynolds

LADY WRESTLERS -- La Conner's Amber Drye placed her Mount Vernon High foe in a headlock during Thursday's non-league dual meet at the elementary gym. 

 Braves wrestle Mount Vernon on equal footing

By Bill Reynolds

Bigger wasn’t necessarily better Thursday when La Conner wrestlers hosted Mount Vernon in a non-league dual match.

The two squads split eight pairings, with La Conner’s Dahlton Zavala, 160 pounds, Todd Hoagland, 170, and Nathan Parker, 285, each winning by pin in their respective weight classes.

Zavala was especially dominant, while Kevin Aske turned in perhaps his best effort of the campaign by claiming a crisp 8-6 victory at 138 pounds.

La Conner head coach Barry Harper was very pleased afterward by his team’s performance against the Bulldogs.

“Hoagland,” he stressed, “really looked good. He pinned his guy in the first round. He really went out there and took it to him.

“Nathan Parker,” added Harper, “also had a good match with a third round pin.”

La Conner’s Ben Harper, 132, and Jimmy Garcia, 145, both wrestled exceptionally well before dropping close decisions to top-flight foes.

The Garcia match, in particular, was a wild affair, highlighted by several lead changes before ending with a 14-13 verdict.

“I really think Jimmy can beat that guy,” coach Harper said. “He was ahead late in the match and got rolled to his back. That was a real heartbreaker.”

In the girls’ division, Amber Drye and Frances Zeimantz each wrestled twice, with the latter winning both times.

Harper said the Braves are definitely headed in the right direction.

“As a whole,” said Harper, “we are continuing to improve. Everybody is working real hard in practice. We still have some little things to correct, but the coachesare pleased with the progress we’re making.”

 Photo by Melissa Reynolds

Braves survive Duck calls to post big win

By Bill Reynolds

La Conner head coach Scott Novak knew going home for the holidays could put his team in a hostile setting.

But that was okay, even after a tough 45-42 loss Thursday at Adna, Novak’s high school alma mater.

“We could’ve scheduled somebody not nearly as good at home,” Novak offered afterward, “but what would we have gained from that?”

On the other hand, traveling to Adna and later to Toutle Lake – where La Conner emerged with a crucial 67-59 bounce-back win on Friday – the Braves instead learned how to deal with adversity.

“It was a hard loss,” Novak said of the Adna game, a contest in which La Conner led by as many as seven points down the stretch before falling prey to several unfavorable calls and a couple costly late turnovers.

“It was the kind of thing you come to expect on the road,” said Novak. “You just have to learn how to play through it.”

La Conner, it turned out, proved to be a quick study.

The Braves responded the next night at Toutle Lake, where they faced an unforgiving crowd and another round of rough officiating, to school the upset-minded Ducks.

La Conner sharpshooter Landy James, despite playing much of the second half with four fouls, scored a game-high 26 points that included two outside treys and a transition dunk.

And that doesn’t include James’ best play of the night, a full-speed spin move that broke a desperate fourth quarter full-court Toutle Lake press, and led to a clinching Braves’ score.

Versatile Mike Wilbur added 17 tallies – and so much more – for the victors.

Wilbur, who regularly fills the stat sheet, added five rebounds, four assists, and a steal to his night’s work. Plus he held his ground and took a charge.

He was also solid at the charity stripe, converting eight of 10 free throws.

Wilbur’s opposite number in the La Conner backcourt, Spencer Novak, finished with a dozen points.

Ten of Novak’s points came during a crucial part of the second period when La Conner quickly turned a six-point deficit into a 37-27 lead at the break.

Novak hit two straight treys and teamed with Wilbur and Bobby Poulton on a suffocating perimeter zone trap that erased what had been an early 18-12 Toutle Lake edge.

Novak and Poulton, the latter of whom does much of La Conner’s necessary blue collar work, finished with two steals apiece.

Tyler Howlett chipped in eight points, including a first half trey, for the victors. Perhaps just as important, he played exceptional defense, drawing two charges.

La Conner post Jonah Cook, who drew plenty of attention from the Ducks in the early going, finished with four points despite taking just three shots.

The Braves shook off any ill effects from the Adna game, responding at Toutle Lake with one of their best shooting nights of the campaign. La Conner was 24 of 42 (57 per cent) from the floor, including six of 11 (54 per cent) from beyond the three point arc.

Still, it took an intense effort to defeat a scrappy Toutle Lake squad.

“They’re definitely a hard-nosed bunch,” acknowledged La Conner assistant coach Dustin Swanson, who offered a quick chuckle upon remembering Toutle Lake’s mascot is a duck.

“I’m just happy,” added Novak, “that we were able to put this one away.”

La Conner improved to 8-1 going into Monday’s exhibition game with a traveling Australian team.

The Braves, who hosted Orcas late Tuesday, return to the road this Friday, Jan. 6,  for a league clash at Concrete. La Conner is at Friday Harbor Jan. 10.

In related notes:

*La Conner traveled well to the Adna and Toutle Lake games despite the three-hour distance. Among those in attendance Friday were Braves’ alums Doug Alvord, a rare four-year letter winner, and John Agen, who like Alvord was a key member of LaConner’s 1974 team that earned a No. 2 ranking going into State play. Agen wryly noted that had Husky placekicker Erik Folk not missed a field goal attempt, the Baylor-UW Alamo Bowl score would’ve matched Friday’s La Conner-Toutle Lake final.

*During a break in Friday’s action, a Toutle Lake fan was heard to yell: “This officiating is horrible!” A La Conner fan retorted: “at least we can agree on that!”

LA CONNER         12    25   14   16 –  67

TOUTLE LAKE     18     9    12    20  --  59

(LC)—67—L. James 26, Wilbur 17, Novak 12, Howlett 8, Cook 4.

 Photo by Bill Reynolds

Lady Braves nurse wounds over holidays

By Bill Reynolds

Their pride wasn’t what hurt most after the La Conner High Lady Braves dropped a couple tough non-league hoop decisions over Christmas break.

It was the fact key inside players Anna Cook and Taysha James remained sidelined with nagging knee injuries going into an anticipated tough road trip Friday to Toutle Lake.

And, to literally add insult to injury, dynamic La Conner guard Priscilla Ponce-Venegas was knocked out in the second half of La Conner’s physical bout with the Fightin’ Ducks after taking a sharp elbow to the mouth.

Blood splattered on the floor, and Ponce-Venegas – who had scored a game-high 21 points – was escorted to the locker room for medical attention.

Fortunately, within a few minutes, she was deemed okay by Dr. Wilbert James.

But, by then, La Conner had suffered a 38-28 loss in a seesaw affair that had seen Ponce-Venegas fuel a 9-2 Lady Braves run to end the first half, including a darting coast-to-coast layup at the buzzer.

Toutle Lake responded with an 11-0 run of its own to break a 15-15 halftime tie.

La Conner frontliner Aubrey Stewart, turning in her second straight strong performance in the paint, broke the drought with 1:20 left in the third period on a short jumper in traffic off a nice feed by Nikki Finley.

Prior to being hurt, Ponce-Venegas ignited a fourth quarter La Conner comeback. She hit three straight layups, two on full-court run-outs and one an inbounds pass, to pull the Lady Braves within 34-25.

A Stewart charity toss trimmed the Toutle Lake lead to 34-26 with 2:34 remaining.

But La Conner, minus Ponce-Venegas, could get no closer.

Finley managed a deft drive and bank in the lane with just over a minute left to play, but that was off-set by two foul shots and a step-through by the Ducks’ Shelby Wason, one of seven Toutle Lake players to land in the scoring column.

Breezy Hockett led the hosts’ balanced attack with 10 tallies.

La Conner was coming off a 48-40 defeat at home to Adna, whose stifling press proved the difference.

The game turned when Adna point guard Madison Beasley stole an inbounds pass and hit a short bank shot – her only field goal attempt of the night – as time expired in the third quarter.

“I thought, overall, that we did well against a really good Adna team,” La Conner head coach Scott Novak said afterward. “We were playing a little shorthanded with Anna and Taysha still out and Priscilla’s minutes limited due to her having been ill earlier in the week.

“It was the turnovers and give-away points that probably hurt the most,” he said.

Novak liked the fact his charges battled to the end, with Finley hitting a pair of deep treys and freshman Katie Novak meshing a long three-pointer in the waning moments.

Stewart’s play in the blocks was another bright spot. She joined Ponce-Venegas (12) and Finley (10) in double digit scoring for La Conner, netting 11 points, all coming in the key or at the foul stripe.

The Lady Braves, who hosted Orcas late Tuesday, resume league action this Friday, Jan. 6, at Concrete.

La Conner, which entered the week 5-4 overall, travels Jan. 10 to Friday Harbor.

in the December 28 issue

Photo by Gary Cole

Winds gusting at 50 miles per hour on Christmas Day in the Snee-Oosh Beach area knocked down a power pole at the corner of Keith Johnson’s yard. Doug Cole, reporting from the scene, said the power outage didn’t deter the Barbara Hoover family holiday celebration; they just fired up generators and carried on. Utility crews worked through the night to replace three poles and power was restored by 8:10 a.m. Monday.

2011 in Review

     OK, when you see a "Year in Review" or a "Look Back" on the front page of a newspaper, that's newspaper code for NOTHING IS HAPPENING. That's the real reason these things show up between Christmas and New Year's Day. It's the quietest time of the year for news...
     Nevertheless, some people enjoy looking back; and for those of us in La Conner the year had some events worth talking about.

 Photo by Ben Davidson

A happy memory: Canoe Journey

Swinomish Indian Tribal Community hosted the annual Canoe Journey, which drew about 80 family canoes carrying tribal people from throughout the northwest in July.

Almost everyone in the La Conner area participated in the event. Thousands of people lined up on both sides of the channel to witness the spectacular canoe landing, which included a surprise visit from Washington Governor Christine Gregoire, who was a paddler in Tribal Chairman Brian Cladoosby’s canoe.

Swinomish invited the whole town to dinner every night during weeklong gathering, which ran from July 25 through 31 and included Native American dancing and performances every day.

The event left the community with wonderful memories and a beautiful reminder – the three cedar hat-shaped pavilions at Swadabs Park across the channel from Gilkey Square mark the site of the historic canoe landing.

 Photo by Don Coyote

Scary day: Cops shut down the town

We’ll be telling the grandkids about the afternoon that quiet La Conner suddenly started swarming with police, their assault rifles at the ready ordering residents to take cover indoors while a low-flying Blackhawk helicopter circled overhead with armed officers looking out.

The Skagit County Sheriff’s Office, acting on a credible tip that a man who had just committed two murders in Oak Harbor had come to La Conner called in officers from six other law enforcement agencies to shut down the town.

The accused murderer, Joshua David Lambert, 30, was captured in Oak Harbor. He is charged with stabbing both his 80-year-old grandfathers to death in separate attacks on Monday, Oct. 3. Lambert has told the Island County Superior Court he plans to represent himself in his defense and that he is insane.

 Photo by Kane Stokes

Remember these guys?

 Town turkeys evicted

La Conner’s wild turkey flock, which once numbered 18, was run out of town.

Resident complaints about the birds’ foul habits, including digging up flower beds and pooping on porches, prompted the Town Council to order town employees to trap, chase and net the birds.

Public Works crews nabbed the last tom in May as he was taking refuge in the public restroom on Morris Street. That bird spent about a month in “solitary” in the old dog pen at the old public works department until Marci and Bob Plank took him in. Now the turkey has a name, Monty, and a job. He is overlord of the chickens, who stand around and admire him at the Planks’ ranch.

Columnists Mel Damski and Mickey Bambrick gave us some very personal information for Christmas. Look inside the paper for some great reading from these two amazing local writers.

From the Police Blotter:

11:57 a.m.: Animal mix-up – A resident in La Conner reported a suspicious package on her front porch, and was concerned it may be dangerous. Deputies found the box contained a near-lethal amount of cuteness in the form of a kitten. The kitten was taken into custody and transported to the Humane Society. Deputies determined that the kitten was intended as a gift for the caller’s daughter. Well, it could have been a bomb.

The paper is on the streets today in the news stands, in both gas stations, the liquor store, drug store and book store.

 

Braves Sports, Dec. 28, 2011

Photo by Melissa Reynolds

Lady Braves rebound, win big over Coupeville

By Bill Reynolds

The La Conner High girls' basketball team was looking for a bounce back game after suffering a tough loss at Darrington.

They found one Wednesday night against another longtime rival, Coupeville.

It was a pairing the Lady Braves won moments after tipoff, bursting to an early 24-2 lead and never looking back en route to an eventual 48-18 romp.

"The Coupeville game was definitely a good one for us following the loss at Darrington," La Conner head coach Scott Novak said afterward. "The team came out and played aggressively, and basically put the game away in the first half."

La Conner parlayed its tenacious full-court press into Coupeville turnovers and easy transition baskets, building a 31-5 cushion at intermission.

The advantage swelled to 38-8 going into the final stanza.

The early and large lead allowed Novak to substitute liberally and keep his squad well rested going into Tuesday's late action with Adna and this Friday's trip to Toutle Lake.

Priscilla Ponce-Venegas finished with eight points to lead 10 La Conner scorers, all of whom benefitted from the Lady Braves' "pass-first" mindset in their halfcourt attack.

"I thought we moved the ball really well on offense," Novak insisted afterward.

Point guard Nikki Finley recorded two assists in playing time limited by the lopsided score.

Solid passing by Finley and her teammates enabled La Conner to shoot 43 per cent from the field (17 of 40), including three of seven trey attempts.

Finley, Katie McKnight, and Katie Novak each buried shots from beyond the arc.

La Conner literally rebounded well in bouncing back from the earlier Darrington defeat.

Aubrey Stewart paced the Lady Braves with seven caroms, to go along with five points.

Emily Anderson (7), Kelly McClung (5), Emma Christianson (2), Lauren Reynolds (2), and Alyssa McCormick (2) rounded out LaConner's scoring.

Coach Novak expected stern tests this week from Adna and Toutle Lake.

"These," he said, "should be two very tough non-league games."

Of that, the Lady Braves are well aware. They know the visit to Toutle Lake, in particular, is no mere holiday vacation.

To that end, they worked out until 7 p.m. the day after Christmas, not expecting gifts from either Toutle Lake or Adna.

 Photo by Melissa Reynolds

Braves earn praise as road warriors

By Bill Reynolds

The La Conner Braves passed their first big road test of the season with flying colors.

But head coach Scott Novak isn't quite ready to say his club, which remained unbeaten with a convincing 66-53 win last week at 3A Sedro-Woolley, is in the driver's seat yet.

"The Sedro-Woolley game was a nice win for the team," Novak said after the much anticipated clash, which was broadcast live on radio. "The boys played well, executing on offense and playing good defense."

Landy James, Jonah Cook, and Mike Wilbur paced a balanced La Conner attack at Sedro-Woolley that saw seven Braves land in the scoring column.

Wilbur literally filled the stat sheet, meshing 12 points on five-of-nine shooting while also recording three steals and dishing off a pair of assists.

James led the La Conner point parade with 18 points, including a perimeter trey.

Cook, meanwhile, punished the Cubs inside with 17 tallies and three blocked shots.

He converted six of nine attempts from the floor and made Sedro-Woolley pay when the hosts fouled him in the paint.

Cook converted five of six charity tosses – nearly half the Braves' team total.

But despite the impressive triumph, in which La Conner led throughout, Novak remained the soul of caution even after the Sedro-Woolley win was safely in the books.

His focus was instead on this week's longer road trip to southwest Washington.

"Things don't get any easier," he stressed, "as we play at Adna (Thursday) and Toutle Lake (Friday)."

So it was left for La Conner fans to savor Wednesday night's victory.

They saw contributions by the entire roster against a bigger school featuring in Isaac Bianchini one of the top scorers in the area.

Bianchini paced the Cubs with 13 points, but it wasn't nearly enough against a deep La Conner squad.

Consider that Tyler Howlett responded with a season-best nine points, hitting four of seven field goal attempts.

And that Bobby Poulton drained the only shot he took, and was one of five Braves to register assists – confirming Novak's praise about how well his club ran its offense.

In addition to Wilbur and Poulton, James, Jared Fohn, and Spencer Novak also passed off for buckets, helping trigger LaConner's motion offense.

The Braves bolted to an early 16-12 lead, but used a 21-9 run in the third period to set the tone.

LaConner led by double digits much of the second half, entering the final frame with a comfortable 51-35 edge.

Thursday's tipoff at Adna, which is coach Novak's high school alma mater, is set for 7 p.m. The Friday matinee at Toutle Lake gets under way at 4:30 p.m.

  

 La Conner grapplers give peak effort at Mt. Baker

By Bill Reynolds

La Conner High's Jimmy Garcia wasn't being asked to move mountains last weekend.

It just seemed that way.

The Braves’ wrestler found himself paired against Concrete's Johnny Evans, ranked No. 2 in the State at 145 pounds, during one of his four matches at the highly competitive Mount Baker Invitational Tournament.

It proved to be a peak moment for Garcia, who upset Evans for one of his two victories on the afternoon – competing mostly against foes from the 2A through 4A ranks.

"I was very happy with Garcia's day at 145," La Conner head coach Barry Harper said afterward. "He went 2-2, but it was probably the toughest weight class in the tournament."

La Conner's Dahlton Zavala placed fourth in the 160s, while teammate Cameron Wischhusen clinched fifth place in the 182s.

Kevin Aske (138), Todd Hoagland (170), and William Zeimantz (285) won one match apiece for La Conner at the Mount Baker meet.

It was a 16-team tourney which saw La Conner grapplers continue to make progress, despite often facing uphill battles against wrestlers from larger schools.

The Braves placed 12^th overall on the boys' side.

In the girls' competition, La Conner's Amber Drye and Frances Zeimantz each won two matches.

"We fared pretty well, I thought," said Harper. "I'm continuing to see improvement every week, which is good. That's exactly what we need."

La Conner resumes mat action 2 p.m. on Thursday at home opposite Mount Vernon.