Here are the boys basketball and Sequim wrestling teams’ results from the last week of winter break. Winter sports all return to action this week.

Coach says b-ball tournament helps team grow

Despite three losses at the GESA Winter Shootout tournament in Wenatchee for the Sequim boys basketball team, coach Craig Brooks said the tournament was good for his team.

“It was a good trip. We got better even though we didn’t win any games,” Brooks said.

The Wolves lost 79-61 on Jan. 3 to University, a 3A school out of Spokane, with Brooks saying Sequim had much better offense than in a 66-38 loss a day prior, Jan. 2, to Eastmont.

“That was a tough opponent and (Sequim) stayed even with them most of the game. We got up two in the second half at one point,” Brooks said. He said the Wolves showed a lot of good offensive balance, led by Solomon Sheppard’s 26 points.

Against Eastmont, the Wolves struggled offensively with Sheppard leading the team with 14 points.

To open the tournament, Sequim got down early and battled to within six points of Sandpoint, Idaho, on New Year’s Day, but fell 56-40.

Sheppard led the Wolves with 23 points, getting to the free-throw line 14 times.

“He did a great job getting to the basket and drawing fouls,” Brooks said. “They couldn’t stop him.”

Sheppard shot 11-for-14 on his free throws and Mason Rapelje added 10 points.

Brooks said Hunter Tennell moved into the starting lineup and showed a lot of energy. He said Noah Green also had a good game.

This week, the Wolves were set to return to Olympic League play traveling to Port Angeles on Jan. 6 and Poulsbo to play North Kitsap on Jan. 9.

The girls varsity squad is also set to play before the boys in Port Angeles, and they’ll host North Kitsap at 7 p.m. Friday.

Sequim Gazette file photo by Matthew Nash Wolves wrestler Finn Jones, pictured on Dec. 11 in Sequim, won three matches all by pin at the Pac Coast Wrestling Championships in Ridgefield in late December. He also won by pin on Jan. 3 at the Battle of the Axe in Port Angeles against Anacortes’ Wyatt Paul in 5:55.

Wrestlers compete at two tourneys over break

Sequim sent a contingency of wrestlers to the Pac Coast Wrestling Championships, held Dec. 29-30 in Ridgefield’s Clark County Event Center and to the Battle of the Axe on Jan. 3 in Port Angeles.

In Ridgefield, three Wolves picked up three wins each, including Finn Jones at 126 pounds, Aiden Glenn at 175 pounds, and Story Snow in the 125-pound girls’ bracket.

Jones won his matches all by pin: the first over Alex Garcia of Skyview in 39 seconds, the second over Connor Cain of Oregon City, Ore., in 1:53, and in the fifth round Heston Hughes of Castle Rock in 42 seconds.

Glenn opened the tournament with a 37-second pin of Kaden Vallejo of Riverside, and he won two more matches by pin in the consolation including a 1:59 pin of Ethan Nelson of Orting, and in 52 seconds over Charlie Couto of Central Valley.

Snow first won with a 15-0 tech fall of Devin Scott of Pendleton, Ore., followed by pins of Andi Hendrickson of La Center in 1:00, and in 2:53 over Jnai Guerra of Evergreen – Vancouver.

Brandon Bair (106) went 2-2 with a pin of Jaxson Higginbotham of Union in 1:07, and Erwin Castillo of Marysville Pilchuck in 2:00. Max Sivilli (285) also won twice with a 54-second pin of Torin Johnson of Battle Ground, and a 1:22 pin of Santiago Jimenez of Marysville Pilchuck.

Johnny Vilona (138) and Riley Downs (150) also both won a match.

At the Battle of the Axe in Port Angeles on Jan. 3, Sequim boys placed 13th going head-to-head with five schools. In the first round against North Thurston in a 74-6 loss, Vilona picked up the Wolves’ lone win with a pin of Makai Ciramagua in 5:15.

Against Olympic in a 66-15 defeat, Sequim’s Ryan Spelker (132 pounds) won in a major decision 17-3 over Colby Wolfe, Vilona won in a tech fall 22-4 over Elijah Person, and Andra Linson (165) defeated Chase Curnutt by pin in 3:14.

Anacortes won the third match-up 55-18 and for Sequim’s points, Jones won with a 5:55 pin of Wyatt Paul, Vilona recorded another win with a 6-2 decision over Dallas Bates, Bair won 8-4 over Kale Steffen, and Cash Hiner (215) won by forfeit.

The Wolves won their final two match-ups with a 45-30 win over East Jefferson, and 66-12 against Kingston. Against the Rivals, many of the matches were won by forfeit, except Hiner with a 5-3 win over Thomas Aumock, and Sivilli with a 30-second pin of Layton Lopeman.

Versus the Buccaneers, Spelker pinned Cayle Rosas in 58 seconds, Levi Breithaupt (144) pinned Juston Jameson in Fall 4:38, Riley Downs pinned Dawson Frezell in 3:44, and Linson pinned Eric Detrick in 1:37.

For the Sequim girls, both Harper Campbell (117-128 bracket) and Snow pinned all three of their opponents.

Campbell pinned Cynthia Rocha of Port Angeles in 36 seconds, Abbygail Kagey of Olympic in 1:28, and LaRayne Blair of Forks in 40 seconds.

Snow pinned Briana Salazar of Forks in 1:38, Lilly Shoop of East Jefferson in 32 seconds, and Alyssa Romero of Port Angeles in 18 seconds. Makenzie Labbe (134-142 bracket) also recorded a pin of Aleia Cruz of North Thurston in 2:46.

This week, Sequim is set to travel to a tournament at Hoquiam on Jan. 10.