Triton men's hoops falls to top-ranked Bellevue

LYNNWOOD, Wash. — Despite a strong first half, Edmonds (14-9, 5-3) fell to top-ranked Bellevue College (21-2, 8-0) with a final score of 97-82 on Wednesday. The Tritons were unable to maintain their lead as the Bellevue Bulldogs raced away, outscoring them 63-39 in the second half.

Edmonds opened the game with a Hunter White layup. Avidan West's layup at 18:53 kept the momentum in their favor. Despite multiple lead changes and ties early on, the Tritons found a rhythm, peaking with a 9-point lead just before the first half buzzer. Edmonds took a 43–34 lead into the locker room behind efficient shooting and a solid rebounding effort.

Edmonds started the second half with momentum, as White's layups at 17:59 and 17:21, both assisted by teammates, helped extend their lead to 47–39. Isaiah Lopez contributed with a crucial 3-pointer at 16:10, assisted by Kyrylo Kapinos, pushing Edmonds to a 50–40 edge. However, the Bulldogs responded with a series buckets, including two 3-pointers by Sawyer Cottrell, which tied the game at 56–56 by 13:02. Bellevue continued to surge ahead and closed out the double-digit victory, their conference leading 21st in a row.

Kapinos led Edmonds with 16 points and 11 rebounds, making all six of his free throws. Romeo Webber also contributed significantly, scoring 16 points and blocking three shots. Adonai Daniel was perfect from the field, converting 6 of 6 shots for 13 points. West added 13 points and two assists hitting all five of his attempts from the charity stripe.

Another test awaits the team in their next battle when they travel to No. 2-ranked Skagit Valley (21-2, 7-1) on Saturday at 4 p.m.