Fewer turnovers. Quality defense. Better decision-making down the stretch.

The Wolverines were firing on all cylinders, but still needed a clutch performance at the free-throw line to lock down a 42-36 victory on the road Saturday at Shoreline Christian.

Clinging to a one-point lead after three periods of play, Friday Harbor outpaced the Crusaders down the stretch by burying two buckets from the field, knocking down 10-of-14 free-throw attempts, and by holding the home team to just 11 points over the final eight minutes of regulation.

Senior Parker Lawson scored a team-high 13 points and Roy Taylor added 11.

“It could’ve gone either way,” Head Coach Rod Turnbull said. “I thought we had a little better game management overall and made some good decisions there at the end. Our defense was better, especially our help defense.”

The Wolverines led 11-5 at the end of the first quarter, but Shoreline Christian rallied to tie the score at 18-18 apiece at break. Leading 28-27 at the end of the third period, Friday Harbor tallied 10 of its 14 fourth-quarter points at the free-throw stripe to beat back a late-game rally by the home team and seal the win. Mike Ausilio and Alex Jangard contributed seven points apiece.

With the victory, the Wolverines improved to 7-2 in Northwest 1A/2B League play and 8-9 overall.

Jan. 29
Friday Harbor 70
Darrington 36
The Wolverines notched a season-high 70 points in a runaway win over Darrington Jan. 29 in Turnbull Gym.

Junior Roy Taylor also tallied a season-high total, tossing in 19 points, and senior Parker Lawson added 13, as Friday Harbor jumped out to a 21-3 lead and never looked back against the lowly Loggers, who fell to 1-8 in league play.

The Wolverines took a 37-20 lead into the locker room at the break, and sealed the victory in the second half, outscoring the Loggers 33-16 down the stretch. Senior Mike Ausilio contributed 11 points and a total of 10 Wolverines put points on the board.

The Wolverines eclipsed their previous season-high scoring total — a 61-point game-winning outburst against Orcas on Jan. 8 — by nine.

Next: The Wolverines host Concrete Feb. 9, followed by Mount Vernon Christian Feb. 12, as they wind up their regular-season schedule with back-to-back games at home. Tipoff against Concrete is at 5:30 p.m.

(The Wolverines were on the road at Orcas on Tuesday. See SanJuanJournal.com for results.)

STANDINGS
Northwest 1A/2B League
La Conner 8-0
Friday Harbor 7-2
Shoreline Christian 6-3
Mount Vernon Christian 3-5
Orcas Island 3-6
Concrete 2-6
Darrington 1-8