The Centralia College men’s basketball got back on the court for the first time in 2024 and opened the new year with a come-from-behind win over Grays Harbor, 73-62.
“Just call us the Cardiac Kids, because this was another game where we found ourselves down 15 early in the game and finished strong to get the dub,” CC coach Joe Chirhart said.
The Blazers (5-10, 1-0) trailed 26-10 midway through the first half, before going on an 18-8 run to go into the break with some momentum. CC took its first lead since the opening minute with 14:19 to go on a Kevin Williams 3-pointer. Eight minutes of back-and-forth later, Williams hit another triple to give the Blazers the lead for good, and in the blink of an eye, the hosts had the gap up to 10 points.
“We finished the last seven minutes of the game dominating ball control, owning the glass and every rebound and really executing our plays,” Chirhart said. “The discipline, effort and teamwork in the final seven minutes of the game really helped secure the win.”
OJ Dybdhal led the Blazers with 23 points on 11 of 18 shooting, and also had 16 rebounds and three blocks, and spent the night looking “like a man among boys.”
Williams hit five of CC’s seven triples and finished with 22 points of his own. Nashon Henderson Crews had 10 points, five assists and four rebounds.
After playing just two games in a month, the Blazers will get back to a more regular schedule, going on the road to South Puget Sound on Saturday.
