Sehome boys basketball wrapped up its regular season with a win at home Friday night, rolling past Nooksack Valley 68-48.
Seniors Grant Kepley and Grey Garrison led the way offensively for the Mariners, combining for 41 points, and they now enter the postseason riding a five-game win streak.
The large margin on the scoreboard also allowed Sehome to get each of its seniors some minutes on Senior Night.
“That was really neat,” Sehome coach Brad Jackson said. “It’s a good way to finish, and now we’re on to the second season.”
NV’s offense couldn’t keep up with Sehome’s attack in the first quarter, and that initial separation ensured the Mariners never trailed the entire game.
Kepley scored nine of his game-high 21 points in the opening period, helping the Mariners to a 16-4 advantage after eight minutes.
Sehome’s Dane Dominguez (33) reaches for the ball in the third quarter. (Andy Bronson/Cascadia Daily News)
Sehome turned on the jets in the second quarter to the tune of an 11-0 run, capped off by a 3-pointer from freshman Nolan Wright that forced an NV timeout with 1:48 remaining in the first half.
Garrison scored the final bucket of the half for the Mariners, and Sehome went into the locker room leading 32-14.
Sehome rattled off 18 points in the first five minutes of the third period as Garrison continued swatting shots and laying in buckets.
The 6-foot-7 center frequently patrolled “The Grey Area” for prospective rejections, and he finished the game with five blocks.
Dane Dominguez, one of the Mariners’ core seniors, suffered a foot injury in the second half and was sidelined for the remainder of the game. Jackson said they are unsure how long Dominguez will be held out, so a potential contingency plan is yet to be determined.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Jackson said. “We don’t really even know what the scenario is [yet].”
NV sophomore forward Brady Ackerman, who finished with a team-high 10 points, scored eight in the second half to periodically re-energize the Pioneers.
Nooksack Valley’s Brady Ackerman scores against Sehome’s Grey Garrison in the paint. (Andy Bronson/Cascadia Daily News)
The Mariners grew their lead as large as 28 in the third quarter, outscoring NV 21-15 in the period, before pulling their starters with 3:25 left in the game and closing out the regular season with an emphatic victory.
Garrison tallied 20 points on the night as Wright and senior forward Isaac Lawrence each finished with nine.
Junior Joey Brown and senior Bennett DeLange each totaled nine points for the Pioneers. Sophomore Colton Lentz finished with eight.
Sehome finished its regular season with a 16-3 overall record (13-2 NWC) as the Mariners prepare for the upcoming 2A District 1 tournament, beginning Saturday, Feb. 11. Their opponent and bracket seed are yet to be determined.
“It’s pretty exciting,” Garrison said of concluding the regular season schedule. “We had some bumps in the road, but I’m proud of how we finished. I think we had a really good run at the end.”
NV closed out its regular season schedule 8-11 overall (5-10 NWC) and will prepare for a 1A District 1 play-in game against Mount Baker (2-16, 0-15 NWC) at 7:30 p.m., Monday, Feb. 6.
