Trojans earn first automatic playoff bid since 1999

The Olympic High School boys basketball team is going to the big dance.

Trojans head coach Devin Huff rallied his players following a 66-60 road win against Klahowya Secondary School Tuesday night, comparing the prep postseason to the NCAA tournament.

The team had reason to celebrate the occasion after clinching an automatic berth into the West Central District tournament for the first time since 1999. If the Trojans win two of their next three games, they will earn a trip to the state tournament.

“If you haven’t done something in over 10 years, it’s kind of historic,” said Huff, who is coaching his 13th season. “It’s a validation of all the things we talk about. And it means a lot for me personally and to this team. It feels really, really good.”

The Eagles and Trojans were tied 26-26 at halftime. Olympic pulled ahead by outscoring Klahowya 21-10 in the third quarter with the help of guard Quintin Phillips, who scored a game-high 27 points and eight rebounds in the victory. Senior guard Frankie Calanda totaled 15 points and hit 3 of 4 three-pointers. Guard Trent Gallagher finished with 14 points while senior guard Chris Campbell capped off the league season with four rebounds, six assists and four steals.

Olympic (10-6) finished third in the Olympic League behind champion Kingston and runner-up Port Angeles high schools. The district tournament runs from Feb. 16 to 21. “We got them here, and I just want to enjoy it,” Huff said. “Sometimes you don’t get to enjoy the wins, but this feels very special. It’s a special group of dudes.”

Klahowya girls lacrosse starts

Klahowya Secondary School will host a girls lacrosse meeting from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 11 in room 103. Parents are requested to attend. All female students in grades 9 to 12 in the Central Kitsap School District are eligible to join.

In addition, there will be free girls lacrosse skills clinics by experienced players during the week of Feb. 21. The season starts Feb. 28. For more information, contact coach Laurie Usher at Lacrossephoto@earthlink.net, or visit the team’s Facebook page titled “Klahowya Girls Lacrosse.”

Eagles’ Carys Bailey wins state bowling title

Klahowya Secondary School’s Carys Bailey won the individual state bowling title Feb. 5 at Narrows Plaza Bowl in Tacoma with a total pin fall score of 1,131. Meanwhile, Bremerton High School placed fourth in the team rankings with a tally of 6,848 in the Class 2A/3A circuit. The Knights were led by freshman Abby King, whose score of 1,097 was second-best in the individual rankings last Saturday.

The Eagles earned a fifth-place mark with a pin fall total of 6,797. Prairie High School (Vancouver) won the team 2A/3A state title with a score of 7,107.

Olympic High School’s Audrey Deutsch rounded out the top 10 with a score of 1,020. The Lady Trojans failed to earn a state tournament appearance as a team.

Central Kitsap High School ended the season with a seventh-place finish in the team rankings for 4A squads. The Cougars tally of 6,053 was well short of Emerald Ridge High School’s (Puyallup) 7,253 pin fall score. Myranda Stout led the team with a fourth-place finish (1,049).

Cougars host cheer camp

Central Kitsap High School will host a mini-cheer camp from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, Feb. 18. Registration for the event will take place from 10:45 to 11 a.m. The camp will be hosted at the school’s gymnasium.

Participants must be in grades kindergarten to 6, and children are required to be at least 5 years old. The camp cost is $25 per child or $40 for a family of two. The price includes two pompoms per child. Cheer camp T-shirts may also be ordered at an additional cost and those interested must pre-register by Feb. 14.

For more information, e-mail Kara Lindberg at kara.lindberg@prodigy.net.

ISPN show to recap basketball

Kevin Mac will broadcast live coverage of the ISPN Sports Show from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday with highlights and interviews from the past week of high school sports on www.ispnsports.com. Mac will also feature game replays following each high school matchup.

The show will include highlights and interviews from players and coaches on Olympic College’s mens and womens basketball teams.

The current ISPN schedule:

Friday, Feb. 11: Decatur vs. Bremerton (girls basketball) at 5 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 11: Bonney Lake vs. Bremerton (boys basketball) at 7:30 p.m.

All games will be replayed on Sunday.