NASELLE – The Naselle Comets opened the boys basketball season against a team that has two advantages that you can’t teach – speed and height – and the combination was too much for the Comets to handle. The Comets played the North Beach Hyaks, a team which Naselle coach Brian Macy predicted, before the season began, that they would be one of the top teams in the league and in the state B ranks. The Hyaks lived up to that prediction in their season opener played Friday, Dec. 3, in the Naselle gym.

The Hyaks ripped out to a 15-1 lead, with all but two of their early points coming from their devastating fast break, on the way to their 75-53 non-league win. The big Hyaks – opening with football player-types standing 6-foot-4, 6-foot-3, and 6-foot-3, and a 6-foot-5 reserve, in their front line – in contrast to the Comet’s tallest player who might stretch to 6-foot-1. The Hyaks, forcing the Comets into at least four early TOs out of their 19 game turnovers, controlled the boards and got the ball out to their speed-burners on the break.

As tough as the Hyaks big boys were, their leaders were two of their shorter players, 6-foot-1 Kavin Williams and 5-foot-9 Devin Timpson. Timpson has jumping and shooting ability much like that of the Washington Huskies Nate Robinson, and he scored six of the Hyaks first 15 points, while Williams added five more, with all 11 points coming on breakaways. The Hyaks point leaders got plenty of scoring help for the game from the other Hyaks, as two of their teammates also finished in double figures, while eight Hyaks scored in the game.

While the Hyaks were running wild in the early minutes, the Comets were having trouble getting off good shots, let alone scoring points. Only freshman Kyle Burkhalter could hit the hoop, in scoring the Comets first seven points, with all of them coming as a result of his tough rebounding efforts on the offensive board. Another freshman, Jason Gradt, scored from the inside to bring the Comets within eight points with two minutes left in the first period. The Comets were not to get any closer for the rest of the game as they trailed 24-9 after one quarter.

Many of the Comets early problems came as a result of their inability to hit their shots. Junior Evan Hendrickson, who was to score a game-high 21 points on six for 10 shooting from behind the three-point arc, didn’t make his first shot, a three-pointer, until a couple of minutes had elapsed in the second period. The Comets only shot 27 percent for the game on 17 of 62 shots. They shot much better from the three point line on six of 12 shooting, but all six of the “makes” were by Hendrickson.

Following Hendrickson’s first trey in the second quarter, senior sub Tony Mendoza came in and hustled in two hoops. Ricky Johnson scored, Hendrickson added another trey, and Aoy Marion added two free throws. The wake-up of the Comets shooting game allowed them to stay closer to the Williams/Timpson duo, who scored ten of the NB second period points, and the Comets trailed 41-23 at the half.

Cousins Hendrickson and Burkhalter scored all of the Comets’ points in the third period and the Comets were able to close to within 15 points of the Hyaks at 46-31 with three minutes left in the quarter. However, Williams, Timpson, and Co. got their inside game going and the Hyaks stretched their lead back to 21 points by quarter’s end.

Marion and Hendrickson scored 12 of the Comets first 16 points of the final period. The Comets pulled within 12 points of the Hyaks at 49-61 with 3:30 left to play. The Comets last points in that surge came on a steal and lay-up by Robert Torppa. That was as close as the Comets were to get, however, as the Hyaks responded with points from six different players and they went back to Oyehut with their 75-53 win.

Macy said, “Overall I was pleased with the team’s hustle and work ethic. They competed to the very end, cutting a 20-plus point deficit to 12 points in the fourth. We can build on the effort and the ‘never give up’ attitude. The team’s still adjusting to a new coach, some new offensive schemes and moving from being a zone oriented team defensively to being more of a man-to-man team. This will take some time. You never like to lose, but when it’s to a team the caliber of North Beach, it’s a little easier to swallow. To compete against them we will need more patience on offense, transition better and rebound block out much better.”

The Comets have a busy schedule this week. They traveled to Warrenton last Tuesday, for a practice game against the larger Oregon school, will go to Amanda Park for their first Pacific League game against Lake Quinault this Thursday, Dec. 9, and entertain Northwest Christian in a non- league game this Saturday, Dec. 11. The boys and girls teams will both play in this Saturday double header with JV games starting at 3p.m.

North Beach – Kavin Williams 18, Devin Timpson 16, Du. Sturgeon 13, Deutsch 12, Tolon 6, De. Sturgeon 4, E. Fry 4, J. Fry 1.

Naselle – Evan Hendrickson 21, Kyle Burkhalter 11, Marion 9, Mendoza 4, Johnson 2, Williams 2. R. Torppa 2, Gradt 2.

Rebounds

Naselle (26)

Burkhalter 9, Hendrickson 6

Assists

Naselle 5

Marion 2, R. Torppa 2

Steals:

Hendrickson 4