Photo by dan bessett
CHALLENGER. Wilson’s Demetrius Smith and the Rams are in the hunt to be division’s best.
Coming into the final week of the Narrows League season, two things are certain: Bellarmine has all but locked up the Bay Division, and the Bridge Division is still a dog fight between Lincoln and Wilson for the top spot. The two play this week at Lincoln.
Bellarmine put itself in a great position to win the Bay with a wire-to-wire 61-46 win last week at Olympia. Bellarmine held the Bears’ all-league candidate Alex Weber-Brader to a season-low 11 points. Donald Gaddy led the Lions, as he has all season, with 19 points to put them within one game of wrapping up the division with two games remaining in the season.
Bellarmine will win the Bay with a win over either Central Kitsap or Stadium this week – the team’s final games at its old gym – as the Lions hold the tiebreaker over Olympia by virtue of their season sweep of the Bears.
The Bridge Division is another matter entirely.
Lincoln has the easiest path. If the Abes beat Wilson this week, they will lay claim to the division title. The Rams, however, must beat Lincoln and Foss at home to force a tie with the Abes, but would win the division by virtue of sweeping Lincoln.
Lincoln vaulted to their current mark of 10-3 with a 3-0 week that included a thrilling 50-47 win at Foss on Jan. 26, and they followed that up with a 52-42 win over a strong Gig Harbor team at home. Then they buried Shelton on the road by a score of 77-27 to put themselves in great position.
Wilson, meanwhile, had a sluggish beginning to their week with a 43-39 loss at home to Gig Harbor, but posted back-to-back wins, at home over Shelton by a score of 73-42, and on the road at South Kitsap by a score of 60-43, to pull within one game of the Abes.
After the big clash between Lincoln and Wilson, the results of which were not available when Tacoma Weekly went to press, the Abes will travel to Port Orchard to face South Kitsap Feb. 5, while Wilson will entertain Foss in what should be a great matchup at the Harry Bird Gymnasium, season-ending games for both teams.
This final week of league play should be a great preview for next week’s league playoffs at both Stadium and Foss and will prepare the six seeded teams for play in the West Central District the following week.
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