Chimacum's Steven Gray (32) scrambles with Ridgefield's Troy Bleth (40) during Wednesday's game. Gray scored 36 points in the Cowboys' 66-44 victory.   BRIAN FITZGERALD/Yakima Herald-Republic View all photos for this story.

Sophomore sinks 36 points, one shy of mark

By PAUL SHUGAR
YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC

Ridgefield coach Gregg Ford had a lot to like when he came into the 2A state tournament in the SunDome on Wednesday.

The fifth-ranked Spudders arrived in Yakima with a 21-2 record and a high-powered offense led by guard Drew Bleth’s 26.5 points per game. And even though they had lost on the first day of the state tournament eight times, Ford liked his team’s draw and he really liked the bracket.

But the last thing Ford should have wanted to see was the Chimacum Cowboys (17-7) and the team’s sophomore guard Steven Gray waiting on the first day.

Gray, who averaged 27.2 points per game this season, scored 36 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to help the Cowboys to a 66-44 upset of Ridgefield (21-3). He just missed the tournament record of 37 points in a game when he was pulled with 52.4 seconds left.

“I’m happy we won,” said Gray, whose career high is a 53-point night he had as a freshman and his best mark this year is 39. “I’d rather score one point and win than break the record and end up losing by two.”

And Chimacum coach Vic Porter had his own reasons for sitting his young star down.

“I wasn’t sure (he was close to the record),” Porter said. “I just wanted to rest him because we have another game to win (Thursday) and he had played a lot.”

Most of Gray’s playing time was spent with a Ridgefield defender following him around the court. But even with one or two men always in his face, Gray calmly scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds before halftime to give the Cowboys a 28-18 lead.

“We had three guys rotating on him and we were bringing the other guard over to force him to give it up,” Ford said. “But we were down 10 at halftime and things weren’t going so well, so we went to man but that didn’t make much of a difference.”

Bleth was the only member of the Ridgefield offense to get anything going with 20 points on 7 of 22 shooting. The Spudders came into the game with three players averaging double figures, but forward Troy Bleth (10.5 ppg) and guard Dwayne Farr (10.2 ppg) struggled to get their numbers against Chimacum’s 1-3-1 zone. They combined for only 11 points — Troy Bleth had six points and Farr had five.

“We were trying to focus on (Drew Bleth) because he is a good outside shooter and we didn’t want Farr penetrating,” said Porter of his team’s defensive strategy. “We also took care of their offensive boards really well.”

Gray made the most of the team’s defensive effort, scoring 11 points in the third quarter and showing all the facets of his game. He slashed to the basket and drew fouls, took outside jumpers and attempted 3-pointers if he got only a little space from Ridgefield’s defense. He finished 10 of 20 from the field, 14 of 14 from the foul line and 2 of 6 from 3-point range.

But the last thing Gray wants anybody to think about the Cowboys is that they are a one-man team. Two players, Alek Freitas and Mike Casal, finished with nine points. Freitas’ nine points came off 3 of 4 shooting from 3-point range.

“We’ve been under the radar all season,” Gray said. “We weren’t expected to be here because we supposedly are a one-man team. I think today we proved we have more than one guy.”

Chimacum will meet Nooksack Valley (18-6), which defeated Forks 49-35, in the second round at 5:30 p.m. Thursday. Ridgefield will meet the Spartans at 10:30 a.m. Thursday in the consolation bracket.