CK hangs tough, but comes up short against Bellarmine Prep
Published 1:30 am Friday, January 23, 2026
The Central Kitsap Cougars (9-7, 5-7 in Puget Sound League) fought hard, but ultimately fell to the first-place Bellarmine Prep Lions (13-2, 12-0 PSL) 62-46 at home Jan. 22.
CK entered the matchup coming off a two-game winning streak, with their most recent win Jan. 20 against the Peninsula Seahawks, 72-57. CK coach Larry Williams emphasized the importance of maintaining a high morale against a tough opponent like Bellarmine.
“I gotta make my guys believe,” Williams said. “We got everything to gain, nothing to lose.”
The Cougars and Lions traded leads for a majority of the first quarter, with neither team able to jump out to a lead larger than three. CK forward DJ Richardson imposed his will early with an emphatic slam dunk. Bellarmine eventually pushed the lead to 20-13 by the end of the first.
Cougar guard Jaydon Turner scored seven points over the span of three minutes, getting CK’s deficit back down to one possession with less than two minutes to go before halftime.
CK trailed Bellarmine 33-29 at halftime. Turner and Richardson led the Cougars with 11 and 6, respectively.
“Honestly, it’s mental [the standout second quarter],” Turner said. “First quarter, you gotta have a good mindset.”
Cougar forward Ian Moore was fouled on an over-the-back call and sank two free throws to get their deficit to two at 39-37 with 4:06 remaining in the third quarter. But Bellarmine jumped out to a six-point lead again after some missed shots from CK, but guard Josiah Espinoza converted a three-point play with less than a minute remaining in the quarter, giving the Cougars life.
Guard Larry Williams III kicked off the scoring for the Cougars in the fourth quarter with a driving layup to get the Cougars’ deficit back down to seven, but Bellarmine responded with a three-pointer.
CK eventually trailed by 16 with less than two minutes remaining in the game.
“We talked about offensive execution, offensive adjustments, and we started to execute,” Williams said. “We did well, we just didn’t make the plays down the stretch.”
