Several clutch plays by a couple of young players combined with the continued hot hand of senior Dyllan Harris carried the Oak Harbor High School boys basketball team to its first win of the season as the Wildcats defeated Sedro-Woolley 53-48 in the consolation game of the Bulldog Holiday Classic in Mount Vernon Tuesday, Dec. 29.
“The story of the game was our defense,” Oak Harbor coach John Weston said. “We got stops and forced some crucial turnovers down the stretch to close the door on them.”
The Wildcats, down 43-39 heading into the final period, limited the Cubs to only five fourth-quarter points. Oak Harbor also held Sedro-Woolley to five points in the second quarter.
The Cubs (2-7) led 17-16 after one period, and Oak Harbor was on top 23-22 at halftime.
“The guys responded really well to a rough loss yesterday (Monday) by playing a complete game,” Weston said. “Sedro is a solid team and made some runs on us, we made some in-game adjustments and the guys were able to follow through with their play on the court.”
Harris, who scored 40 points in the tournament opener against Skyline Monday, put up 24 Tuesday. He scored eight points in the decisive fourth quarter and had six three-pointers in the game.
Two sophomores, Taeson Hardin and Ozell Jackson, made big plays at key times in the fourth quarter.
Hardin, who missed much of the season with an injury, hit a three-pointer midway through the fourth quarter to help the Wildcats trim the Cub lead to one point.
“That really was the catalyst that got our guys fired up and helped us take the momentum,” Weston said. “We have slowly been working him into the rotation. He played more tonight than he has all season, which added some much needed depth and energy. Taeson is a tough kid who wants it more than just about anyone on the court.”
Jackson, playing with four fouls, led the strong Oak Harbor defensive effort in the fourth quarter by taking two charges in the final 90 seconds.
Hardin finished with 12 points, Adam Nelson scored 10, Josh Cote four, Preston Rankin two and Sean Erskine one.
Oak Harbor (1-8) doesn’t play again until 7:15 p.m. Friday, Jan. 8, when it hosts Stanwood (6-3) in the conference opener.
