EJ boys basketball loses 82-39 to Seattle Christian

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The East Jefferson Rivals varsity boys basketball team was held in a vice grip by Seattle Christian, losing 82-39 as the Warriors dominated on both sides of the court.

Heading to the Chimacum High School court last Monday, EJ’s defense wasn’t enough to handle the Warriors as the Nisqually League opponents more than doubled the score by the end of the matchup.

“Seattle Christian is a good school, they’re coached well. And they shoot the lights out of the ball, let’s be honest,” Rivals Head Coach Emanuel Abbott said following the blowout loss.

The Warriors offense — led by senior and Central Washington University commit Jordan Clark — sliced and diced EJ from start to finish, cutting into the paint on fast breaks and punishing the home team for giving any space around the three-point arc.

The Warriors maintained a double-digit gap in the first and second periods before running away with the game in the second half.

While the Rivals’ offense was mostly stymied throughout, starters Stuart Dow, Keidan Guzman, and Brody Moore led EJ in points.

Dow finished with 10 points, Moore managed seven points on the night, and Guzman gained seven points as well. Also adding to the points column were sophomore guard Traycen Brown with four, senior Austen Hammer with four, and senior Michael Petta with four.

Looking back at the tough loss, Abbott is focused on honing in on his forwards for better control of the post.

“Obviously we’ve got to get better on the defensive end and help the defense,” Abbott said. “We’ve got a 6-foot-7 guy [Stuart Dow] we don’t utilize enough on the inside and we’ve got Guzman, who’s a 6-foot-5 guy who can play inside, but both of those guys want to shoot the ball when we need them inside.”

“Our season is going to hinge on what happens with those guys when we come back from break,” Abbott added.

For upcoming practices, the central focus will be on rebounding, teamwork, and post play, along with getting the ball in the paint for high-percentage shots, Abbott said.

The loss brings the Rivals’ record to 1-3 (0-2 conference) as they hope to go back to the drawing board and turn the season around.