Bellingham slams Olympia: Poole, Menefee renew rivalry

 By: Darren Woods

(5) Nate Menefee shoots a free throw while (33) Nick Moore,
(21) Dennard Abraham and (23) Ryan Diggs look on

        In a revival of a classic Olympia rivalry, St. Martin's University alumni Blake Poole and Evergreen graduate Nate Menefee went head to head in a blast from the past for local basketball fans.

        Blake Poole led his Bellingham Slam into the unfriendly confines of Evergreen's CRC gymnasium to take on Menefee and the Olympia Reign in a rare Saturday night match up for IBL Continental Division bragging rights. In college Menefee and Poole traded wins in their last two years. Menefee stole the show in Lacey in 2009 while Poole, battling flu like symptoms upset the Geoducks in their senior year.

        It was Poole who would prevail in this showdown as he led the number one team in the Continental Division to a commanding 121-96 win over the Reign. The Slam, jumped out to a 33-18 lead after the first quarter and it looked like the Reign had their backs against the ropes early. At the half the teams went into the locker room 66-39 in Bellingham's favor. The Slam dominated the boards 23-18 in the first half . Leading the way for the Slam were Ira Graham with 15 points and Lukas Henne with 15. Sharp shooter Nate Menefee was the Reign's leading scorer at the half with 13 points.

        The second half was not much different from the first and the frustration showed. Olympia players looked confused on defense and Reign owner Mark Felton stated, "We have no heart," in frustration before addressing the coaching staff during shoot around. The Slam made the CRC gym their open gym session and completed the rout by settling on a 121-96 final.

(44) Blake Poole attempts a free throw.
(5) Nate Menefee and (11) Mike Ward look on

       Blake Poole who got off to a slow start was the only player on either team to notch a double-double on the night scoring 19 points and grabbing 11 rebounds while seven other Slam players scored in double digits including Ira Graham with 17. Lukas Henne and Paul Hafford had 15 points each for Bellingham in the win.

        Leading the way for the Reign were guards Nate Menefee and Mike Ward with 15 points a piece. Marcus Whittaker who always adds a spark to the Olympia offense had 14 points in the losing effort.

       The Slam improved their record to 12-5 on the season meanwhile the Reign dropped to three games under .500 to 6-9 with just two weeks remaining in the IBL regular season.


        Bellingham and Olympia meet again Tuesday night (June 21) at 7:00pm at the CRC Gym in a rematch before the two teams conclude their seasons in the last half of June.