HOCKINSON – After a hot first half Tuesday against Washougal, Micah Paulsen knew exactly how many 3-pointers he had.
While warming up for the second half, he smiled at his family in the stands and held up six fingers.
They knew how many he had as well. They also knew the school record for 3-pointers in a game was eight, because it was held by Ry Paulsen, Micah’s older brother.
Micah’s count went to seven after Hockinson first possession of the second half. A few minutes later, Ry’s hold on the school record look very tenuous when his little brother buried No. 8.
And then the shots stopped falling for the sophomore guard. But his hot hand had drawn Washougal’s attention so much, it opened up opportunities for his teammates.
Peyton Brammer scored 15 of his 27 points in the second half to go along with Paulsen’s 28 to carry the Hawks to a 79-62 win over Washougal in a 2A Greater St. Helens League boys basketball game.
Now, there are two Paulsens in the Hockinson record book, and that’s not the worst thing in the world, right?
“No, it’s not too bad,” Micah Paulsen said. “But I would have liked to rub it in his face.”
Ah, brothers.
“Micah is a knock-down shooter, and the onus is on me to find ways to get him the ball,” Hockinson’s first-year coach Jon Warner said. “Tonight, our guys did a good job of moving the ball around and creating good looks for him, and he knocked down those shots.”
Even though 55 of the Hawks 79 points came from two players, Warner said Tuesday’s win was the making of contributions from many players. Paulsen agreed.
“It helped when, even if I missed a shot, I was getting another chance,” Paulsen said. “Our bigs were working down low, and they didn’t have an answer for it. It helped me get open and helped me hit my shots.”
Paulson, with his 6 3-pointers, had 20 points in the first half, but Washougal stayed right with the Hawks, trailing 41-40 at halftime.
But Hockinson opened the second half on a 15-0 run to seize control.
“In the first half, we kind of lost No. 11 (Moses McEwen of Washougal) a couple of times, and he hurt us,” Warner said. “So I called on one of my bulldogs at the end of the bench (Carson Yinger) and told him to deny, deny, deny, get a hand in his face, just harass him. If he fouled him, well, they give you five fouls, so use him. He did a great job.”
McEwen, Washougal’s leading scorer, led the Panthers (5-6, 2-1 2A GSHL) with 23 points, but he had only six in the second half.
The win was the Hawks’ fourth victory in its past six games, after an 0-4 start when nearly half the varsity roster was transitioning from football after Hockinson’s state-championship run.
It didn’t make Warner’s job as a first-year coach any easier, but things are starting to click for the youthful Hawks (4-6, 2-0).
“I’m a believer that success breeds success,” Warner said. “And these wins we’ve had are helping the guys believe in me and what we’re trying to do here. We’ve got some momentum going and we’ve just go to work to keep it going.”
HOCKINSON 79, WASHOUGAL 62
WASHOUGAL – Kol Mael 2, Alex Orr 2, Carter Murray 4, Ben Gutkind 0, Moses McEwen 22, Ryan Bausch 2, Kade Coons 5, Carson Adams 12, John Miner 2, Tanner Coltrane 0, Troy Prince-Butterfield 7, Jakob Davis 4, Nick Oakes 0. Totals 23 (4) 12-14 62.
HOCKINSON – Micah Paulsen 28, Canon Racanelli 0, Peyton Brammer 27, Carson Yinger 2, Sawyer Racanelli 3, Caleb Newman 0, Cameron Venema 5, Mason Panfiglio 8, Grant Garver 6. Totals 31 (10) 7-9 79.
Washougal 21 19 12 10—62
Hockinson 21 20 23 15—79
JV – Hockinson 67-63.
