WOODLAND — Another low-energy, slow start from the Tumwater boys basketball team against Ridgefield in the 2A District IV semifinals prompted a quick timeout from coach Josh Wilson.
Though the game was tied 4-4, you could hear Wilson’s yell from the far end of the court in the T-Bird huddle:
“Wake up!”
It wasn’t the prettiest, but the Thunderbirds pulled away from the Spudders late to move on, 51-46, and secure a regional bid in the process.
“Our game plan was to come out and be aggressive and be on our toes, and to come out and be ourselves and have fun,” Wilson said. “We did the polar opposite of that. It was slow and kind of a slugfest, and we’re on our heels for a long time.
“Any time you get to go to regionals and state, it’s a wonderful thing. It’s what everyone shoots for. Anytime you can do it, you’re happy. We secured additional basketball, so I’m happy.”
It was far from a sure thing down the stretch, however, after the T-Birds built a seven point lead late, a Ridgefield 3-pointer made it just a four point game with 1:59 left.
But when the Thunderbirds needed buckets, they went to 6-foot-6 Ryan Otton early and often, and the big senior capitalized again and again, scoring a team-high 15 points, and drilling a layup late to make it a six-point lead.
Immediately after, Luke Brewer drilled a 3-pointer after an extra pass from Adam Overbay, and put the Spudders on ice for the win.
Connor Hopkins (12 points) and Andrew Collins (10 points) were the other T-Birds in double figures.
“He’s a big guy, he’s a load,” Wilson said of Otton. “He made some really big plays for us down the stretch. Regardless of sport, the kid just knows how to win. He’s been a part of a lot of winning, so not surprised he made those plays when we needed it.”
The win vaults the Thunderbirds into a district title tilt with R.A. Long on Friday at Mark Morris High School, and yet another bid to state and regionals.
Wilson is hoping the couple days off and added relief of already qualifying for state helps the Thunderbirds get off to a better start in Longview.
“Hopefully this one has not as much pressure,” he said. “We secured the regional spot, so hopefully we can just go have fun and play on our toes. Really excited to be able to play. Anytime you get to play to cut down nets, you’re pretty happy to be able to do that.”
