HS Basketball: Drew Jones Carries Puyallup; Downs Sumner

1/22/2025

(Puyallup, WA)

In a seesaw affair with plenty on the line, Drew Jones came through when the Puyallup Vikings needed him the most, his three-pointer propelled Puyallup to a critical 66-60 victory over the Sumner Spartans. The win assures the Vikings a spot in the top two in the final SPSL Standings.

Sumner’s last game coming into Wednesday night was a 67-58 loss to Lake Stevens on Saturday. Puyallup had to rally down 13 against Lake Washington Monday in the MLK Kings Showcase for a 66-56 win.

The game began with Sumner seizing momentum initially. Jalen Hyppa 8 first quarter points with two 3’s built the Spartan lead to as much as 7. Hyppa was blanked in the 2nd quarter, but guard Carson Schmidt carried the load for the Sumner offense in the 2nd quarter. Puyallup’s offensive attack was supported by Drew Jones (10) and Mason Sonntag (7). Sumner led at the half 33-31.

Half number two saw fouls begin to stack for both teams. Goose Frederick and Gavin Lee for Sumner, and Will Nasinec for Puyallup quickly picked up their fourth fouls in the opening stages of the second half. Sumner continued to cling to a slim second half lead for the majority of the second half. Jalen Hyppa drained a pair of three’s in the 3rd quarter to pace the Sumner offense. But the standout performance in the second half was Will Nasinec, scoring 19 of his 21 points in the final half. Puyallup would take the lead off a jumper from Drew Jones to make the count 59-58 Vikings in the closing minutes. After an empty possession by Sumner, Drew Jones worked off a screen and heaped up a deep 3. Jones’s only triple of the night proved to be the biggest play of the game. Puyallup took a 62-58 lead, and never looked back. Puyallup hung on to a 66-60 win.

The win for Puyallup clinches at least a #2 seed in the SPSL. The victory also clinches a spot in the district tournament for the Vikings. Sumner with the loss falls to the third spot in the SPSL North a game behind Emerald Ridge for the 2nd spot in the league. The top three teams in the SPSL North regular season are assured a spot in districts with the top two seeds rendered the opportunity to play for a league title.

Scoring:

Sumner:

Carson Schmidt 15; Jalen Hyppa 14; Colton Kelley 13; Owen Liedtke 7; Gavin Lee 6; Goose Frederick 3; Austin Collins 2;

Puyallup:

Drew Jones 21; Will Nasinec 21; Porter Richardson 9; Mason Sonntag 7; Lawson Looker 6; Porter Richardson 2

Up next:

Sumner will travel on Friday to take on South Kitsap while Puyallup visits Emerald Ridge. Puyallup will have the opportunity to clinch the #1 seed in the SPSL North with a win on Friday. A game that can be found on ESN. Tip off for both games is scheduled at 7pm.

Our Elisportsnetwork.com MVP was Drew Jones with 21 points and the game sealing 3. Here is our interview with Game MVP Drew Jones and Puyallup Head Coach Kevin Olson, with highlights of the game to follow.

ESN Interviews Game MVP Drew Jones