KENNEWICK — Guard Xavier Bazile registered game highs of 24 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists here Sunday morning as Peninsula ended Walla Walla Community College’s 2012-13 season with a 77-59 victory during session two of the NWAACC men’s basketball tournament in the Toyota Center.
The victory, which improved the Pirates’ record to 18-11, advanced Peninsula into a loser-out game this morning with Centralia.
WWCC’s season ended with a mark of 13-15.
Walla Walla claimed a 10-6 lead at the 16:25 mark of the first half on a 3-point jumper by Case Rada, who ended the contest with three makes from outside the arc.
The Pirates used a 10-0 run over the next two-and-a-half minutes plus to take a three-point edge, 16-13. A runner by TreShawn King-Dunbar with 13:42 on the clock ended the surge.
Peninsula increased its lead to 10, 39-29, on a Bazile jumper with 2:42 remaining.
The Pirates shot 48 percent from the field in the first half (15-of-31) and 58 percent from the land of plenty.
“They were too quick for us,” WWCC coach Jeff Reinland said. “We’ve had trouble with athletic teams all year long. We tried to play a little softer (on defense) to start the game and they went 7-of-12 from 3.”
The Warriors used a mini-spurt of 5-0 to get back into the game. A Rada jumper and a three-point play by Austin Nooner in the final 1:22 of the period brought the score to 39-34 at halftime.
Eric Harr continued WWCC’s good fortune with four points – on a free throw and three-point bucket – at the outset of the second half to make it a one-point game, 39-38, at the 19:12 mark.
The Pirates retook control of the game with a 10-0 blitz in the four minutes following Harr’s heroics and led 49-38 with 15:18 to go. Djuan Smith led the charge with six points.
A lay-in by Donald Gaddy with 12:51 remaining extended the run to 16-2 and put Peninsula in front, 55-40.
“We went to a different offense that we put in late in the season,” Peninsula coach Lance Von Vogt said. “It requires more rotation – forcing the defense to go side to side. It opened up driving lanes.”
Walla Walla’s Dallas Reich got the Warriors within 11, 65-54, on a three-point goal with 6:51 left.
But another 10-0 Peninsula run, this one over a 3:15 stretch, put the game out of reach and gave the Pirates a 21-point cushion, 75-54, with 2:37 to play.
Smith and Gaddy joined Bazile in double figures with 19 and 16 points, respectively. Peninsula shot 52 percent for the game (34-of-65) which included a 56-percent showing in the second half (19-of-34).
Harr led the Warriors with 15 points. Rada and Nooner were next with 13 and 12 points, respectively. WWCC shot just 31 percent (22-of-70) in the contest, 9-of-34 from long distance, and 22 percent (8-of-35) after intermission.
“Our defensive efficiency was excellent,” Von Vogt said. “Walla Walla shoots so dog gone well. Our guys contested shots and that makes it hard to score.”
“We were ice cold,” Reinland said. “We got good looks. That (missing shots) puts pressure on every part of your game. We couldn’t get the 3 ball to go down.”
Sunday’s game was the last for WWCC sophomores Dylan Radliff, Dahrius Mills, and Hunter Hahn.
PENINSULA 77, WWCC 59
WWCC (59) — Radliff 3-11 1-2 8, Rada 5-18 0-0 13, Mills 0-1 0-0 0, Reich 1-7 0-0 3, Hahn 2-6 0-0 4, Harr 5-14 1-2 15, Nooner 5-9 2-3 12, Scharf 1-3 2-2 4, Kennedy 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 22-70 6-9 59.
PENINSULA (77) — Panaom 0-0 0-0 0, Clark 2-7 1-2 6, Visser 1-4 0-0 2, Smith 9-15 0-1 19, Bazile 11-14 0-0 24, Ward 0-0 0-0 0, King-Dunbar 4-13 0-0 10, Domach 0-2 0-0 0, Crouts 0-2 0-0 0, Gaddy 7-8 1-2 16. Totals 34-65 2-5 77.
Halftime score — Peninsula 39-34. 3-point goals — WWCC 9-34 (Harr 4-11, Rada 3-14, Reich 1-3, Radliff 1-4, Hahn 0-2), Peninsula 7-16 (King-Dunbar 2-4, Bazile 2-5, Gaddy 1-1, Clark 1-2, Smith 1-2, Visser 0-1, Domach 0-1). Total fouls — WWCC 4, Peninsula 11. Fouled out — none. Technicals fouls — none. Rebounds — WWCC 39 (Nooner 8), Peninsula 46 (Bazile 11). Turnovers — WWCC 10, Peninsula 10. Assists — WWCC 12 (Radliff 4, Rada 4), Peninsula 13 (Bazile 6).
