Greyhounds rule 2nd edition of the Clash of the Combines

PULLMAN — The Pullman Greyhounds not only defended but dominated on their home court to take home the second annual Clash of the Combines, their first such honor since the basketball rivalry series changed its name last year.

Pullman’s girls won first, beating the Bears 47-39. Following shortly thereafter, the boys took care of business to defeat their rivals 73-48.

Before the game, Moscow ASB advisor Sam Hoogsteen said the communities are hoping the event grows every year.

In 2024, they succeeded in that goal. The two schools raised nearly $5,000 for Alternative to Violence on Palouse, an increase of over 200% from the total raised for last year’s event.

As for the actual basketball games, Taylor Darling, River Sykes and Eloise Clark all scored in double digits for the Pullman girls. Then, Daniel Kwon, Cade Rogers and Gavyn Dealy of the Pullman boys’ team were a trio on a destructive path, with none of the Moscow defensive looks doing much to stop them as they scored at will.

All said and done, the Greyhound girls avenged last season’s defeat and the boys went back-to-back in the rivalry.

Here’s how we got there:

Buzzer-to-buzzer domination

After the opening-quarter buzzer sounded, Pullman (3-1) had already jumped out to a 17-8 lead over Moscow (3-1). From there, the result of the game had been a foregone conclusion. By halftime, Pullman increased its lead to 40-17 and, eventually, won by 25 points.

The 73 points were the most Pullman has scored in 2024, beating its previous mark of 61 scored against Riverside in a loss.

“I thought we played inside-out really well. That’s always going to be a big key for us, using our post to open our perimeter,” Pullman coach Craig Brantner said.

Kwon led the Pullman scorers on the night, finishing with 20 points on a barrage of acrobatic layups and 3-point shots. Matching the forward, his running mate Dealy finished with 20 also as no one matched his effort at the rim.

Kwon said it’s all about the chemistry that allows for the team to flow so well and that chemistry is the reason they’ve been able to keep a fluid offense through the start of the season.

“We shared the ball really well,” Kwon said. “You know, we’ve been preparing for this game all week in practice and those reps really helped us execute today.”

Immediately, the Pullman boys were enjoying themselves. After building a sizable double-digit lead, Kwon found Dealy in the paint with a no-look pass that got the already ecstatic Pullman student section “oohing” and “ahhing.”

“I mean, his footwork around the basket given his frame. Plus, he’s got a soft touch that just makes it so tough to defend,” Brantner said. “I’m sure glad he’s a sophomore.”

Even being outscored 16-10 in the third quarter, they never looked fazed and overcame their errant passing at the start of the half to win by 25.

Moscow senior guard Grant Abendroth and senior guard Traiden Cummings tried to keep the Bears in it, finishing with 16 and 22 points, respectively, but with four Greyhounds finishing in the double-digits, their efforts were not enough.

After playing a key role in the girls game, Pullman’s fans once again became a noticeable force to motivate the Pullman offensive attack, bringing the community to the spotlight of the product on the court.

“That’s the biggest crowd I’ve seen here. It’s kind of neat to watch and see how the kids enjoyed themselves,” Brantner said.

While the boys secured the sweep, the girls got the job done first.

One coach’s gold is another’s misfortune

Through the first half, Pullman (2-2) had Moscow (2-5) on pace for its second-lowest season scoring total to this point. The Greyhounds matched the Bears’ entire first-half total in just the second quarter, entering the break with a 20-14 lead.

In the second half, even with a change in defensive strategy, the Greyhounds continued to force turnovers and Moscow’s final score of 39 ended up as tied for its fourth-lowest score of the season despite the Bears scoring 13 points in the final quarter.

Pullman handed Moscow its fifth loss of the season, a final score of 47-39 behind Taylor Darling’s game-leading 15 points and with River Sykes right behind her with 12 points.

Darling’s start for the Greyhounds is just the second of the sophomore’s young high school career. She started for the injured senior guard Brianna Rasmussen, and Pullman coach Angie Barbour said she played a great game especially given the short bench.

“She handled the pressure of starting at point guard pretty well. She hit a couple of really big shots to put us ahead, hit some key free throws and took care of the ball,” Barbour said.

After scoring on their opening possession after drawing a foul, the Bears struggled to find opportunities to capitalize on. Stifled by Pullman’s trap defense, they had a several-minutes-long scoring drought until another free throw put them back on the board.

The Bears tried their hand at replicating the defensive scheme of the Greyhounds, but with Pullman scoring 23 of its 43 points in the final two quarters, the gold of Barbour’s strategy was Moscow coach Josh Colvin’s misfortune.

“We mixed up our defenses well tonight. We forced them to take a lot of outside shots which we always want to do, but I’m a little disappointed in our execution on the boards,” Barbour said.

Forcing their opponents to settle for contested 3-point shots, the Bears did not score their first field goal until 43 seconds remained on the clock for the opening quarter. Even with their offensive woes, they held onto a 9-6 lead after eight minutes thanks to hitting two triples in the final minute.

Filled with both blue-and-red clad fans who traveled to watch the cross-border rivalry, the crowd made an immediate impression. In the first half, Moscow found itself at the free-throw line on many occasions, but cashed in at the charity stripe just 29% of the time, shooting 4-for-14 in the first half.

When the final buzzer sounded, Moscow finished 8-of-25 from the free-throw line. In stark contrast, Pullman shot 17-of-22 from the line and made the most of its opportunities to tack on free points.

The difference makers

Pullman’s student section shined brightly in the back-to-back wins for the Greyhounds. For all three-plus hours of basketball, they and the Moscow students kept the noise pumping until well after the final buzzer.

“Coming out and playing in front of that crowd, you could see both teams were keyed up,” Barbour said. “It’s a different level of hype than we’re used to.”

Moscow finished shooting 32% from the free-throw line while Pullman shot over 77%. The difference became especially evident in the second half, as Pullman kept building its lead to an insurmountable level.

For the boys game, the difference had been the physicality. When Dealy caught the ball in the restricted area, he went up with it and scored at will. Whenever Kwon found any semblance of a lane to the basket, he took it and executed his finishing touch.

Moscow proved unable to overcome the aggressiveness of the Pullman offense, leading to a clear and dominant victory for the Greyhounds in both the boys’ and girls’ contests.

Finding a common denominator between the two victories is simple: defensively, Pullman showed out. Allowing a combined 87 points, the Greyhounds earned every bit of the two wins.

Senior magic

The Pullman boys team has had a trio of seasons with seniors taking center stage. Three years ago, Jaedyn Brown led the Greyhounds, last season it was Champ Powaukee and now, Kwon has taken over the reins.

Brown has played his way to Idaho State and Powaukee is at Neosho County Community College in Chanute, Ky. The jury is out on where Kwon will play, but Brantner said it’s been a privilege to coach each player.

“Those three really love the game of basketball, and that makes them great,” Brantner said. “Kwon would live in the gym if we let him. Every time a coach is here, he beats them here.”

Since Brown began playing varsity for the Greyhounds, Pullman has not lost to Moscow. Kwon is the next in line to have kept the winning streak going as a dominant senior.

GIRLS GAME

MOSCOW (2-5)

Addison Lassen 1 2-6 4, Mattea Nuhn 2 1-6 5, Kolbi Kiblen 1 0-0 3, Brooklyn Becker 1 4-8 9, Rebekah Abbott 0 0-0 0, Jessa Skinner 6 0-3 12, Stella Rae 1 1-2 4, Mia Rae 0 0-0 0, Jacqui Williams 0 0-0 0, Hazel Scott 0 0-0 0, Winnie Colvin 1 0-0 2, Maedi Hennrich 0 0 -0 0. Totals 14 8-25 39.

PULLMAN (2-2)

Grace Kuhle 0 8-8 8, Olivia Whitworth 0 0-0 0, Ada Harris 0 0-0 0, Taylor Darling 6 1-2 15, River Sykes 4 4-4 12, Alexis Doumit 0 0-0 0, Taylor Cromie 1 0-0 2, Eloise Clark 3 3-6 10. Inara Driskell 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 16-22 47.

Moscow 9 5 21 13—39

Pullman 6 14 8 19—47

3-point goals — Kiblen, Becker, Rae; Darling 2, Clark.

———

BOYS GAME

MOSCOW (3-1)

Tyson Izzo 4 0-0 10, Abram Godfrey 0 0-0 0, JP Breese 0 0-0 0, Traiden Cummings 7 6-6 22, Maurice Bethel 0 0-0 0, Connor Isakson 0 0-0 0, Grant Abendroth 5 3-5 16, Dan Fitt 0 0-0 0, Max Winfree 0 0-0 0, Emeth Toebben 0 0-0 0, Owen Tiegs 0 0-0 0, Jonas Mudhurst 0 0-0 0, Andrew Hurley 0 0-0 0. Totals ­16 9-11 48.­

PULLMAN (3-1)

Gavyn Dealy 9 2-3 20, Cade Rogers 5 0-0 10, Daniel Kwon 8 3-3 20, Vaughn Holstad 4 2-2 12, Daniel Liaina 0 0-0 0, Parker Lee 0 0-0 0, Brandon Brown 1 0-0 3, Owen Brannan 1 1-2 3, Mike Wexler 0 0-0 0, Ryan Ha 0 2-2 2, Evan Anderson 1 0-0 3. Totals 28 10-12 73.

Moscow 8 9 16 15—48

Pullman 17 23 10 23—73

3-point goals — Izzo 2, Cummings 2, Abendroth 3; Rogers 2, Kwon, Holstad 2, Brown, Anderson.