Stockbridge leads Prairie to win over River

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BRUSH PRAIRIE – The week before his team played a pivotal Greater St. Helens League basketball game with rival Columbia River, Prairie coach Kyle Brooks told The Reflector that senior point guard Michael Stockbridge had been the Falcons’ “unsung hero’’ this season.

On Thursday night, Brooks would have been justified to drop the “unsung’’ qualifier as Stockbridge poured in a game-high 28 points to lead Prairie to a 72-40 rout of Columbia River. The victory pulled the Falcons into a tie with the Chieftains atop the Class 3A GSHL. Both teams had 3-1 records in league play after Prairie’s lopsided victory.

Stockbridge made nine of the 11 shots he attempted from the field in the game, including seven of eight from behind the 3-point line.

“He had some open shots early and he knocked them down,’’ Brooks said of Stockbridge. “He just took good shots within our offense. The neat thing was that our guys recognized that he was hot and they continued to get him the basketball.’’

Brooks said that Stockbridge is normally more a pass-first playmaker for the Falcons, who are blessed with plenty of other scorers including senior guard Palmer Goecke and juniors Seth Hall and Greg Bernash among others. But, on this night, it was Stockbridge’s turn to carry the offensive burden.

“He’s never concerned about his stats,’’ Brooks said of Stockbridge. “He’s only concerned about winning basketball games. That’s why he’s been one of our co-captains the last two years. He has a very unselfish style.’’

Led by Stockbridge, the Falcons as a team made 29 of their 51 shots from the field, including 11 of 18 from behind the 3-point line. Prairie jumped on top 20-10 after the first quarter and the Falcons extended that lead to 36-21 at halftime. Prairie outscored Columbia River in all four quarters, including an 18-5 blitz in the final eight minutes.

“This was a huge win for us,’’ Brooks said. “We came out really ready to play. We played very well at the right time.’’

Bernash, a 6-foot-6 forward, added 15 points and Hall had 13 for Prairie. Sophomore Matthew Kogler chipped in eight points.



With the victory, Prairie improved its overall record to 14-4. The Falcons finish the regular season with home games against Kelso (Tuesday) and Fort Vancouver (Thursday).

If the Falcons and Columbia River are tied at the end of the week, the two teams will meet Sat., Feb. 6 at Fort Vancouver High School for a 6 p.m. tiebreaker game to determine the league’s No. 1 seed into the regional tournament.

The No. 1 seed will open the postseason with a home game while the No. 2 seed will have to play on the road.

“There’s definitely a significant difference between being the No. 1 and No. 2 seed,’’ Brooks said.

The two teams split their two regular season games this season, with each team winning on its own court. Columbia River earned a 47-44 victory over the Falcons on Jan. 13 on a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Despite his team’s 32-point victory in the most recent matchup between the two teams, Brooks was not overconfident about a third game with the Chieftains.

“I think this win definitely gives us confidence to play Columbia River again,’’ Brooks said. “But, no one should believe they’re not going to be a tough opponent if we get to play them again in the tiebreaker game.