‘On the side’ is a glance at the week’s top ticket, streaks, numbers and miscellaneous sports rumblings involving Covington and Maple Valley.
PUNCH THIS TICKET
The Seattle Sounders and the University of Washington men’s team will play an exhibition soccer game on Saturday, April 12 at French Field on the Kent-Meridian High campus.
Kickoff is at 4:15 p.m. The game will be a fund raiser for the Kent Youth Soccer Association, and will be preceded by a clinic 2:45 p.m., open to kids with tickets. The clinic will feature coaches and players from the Sounders, the defending United Soccer Leagues First Division champions.
Tickets for the game are $8 if purchased in advance, or $10 at the gate.
More information is available online at www.kysa.org.
STUCKEY GOES OFF
Rodney Stuckey came up big for the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night. And just in time, too.
The former Kentwood High star scored 12 of his career-high 27 points during the fourth quarter as the Pistons beat the Minnesota Timberwolves in Minneapolis, 94-90.
Detroit was down by as many as 21 points during the first half.
Stuckey gave the Pistons a 90-88 lead when he buried a jump shot with 45 seconds to go. He then helped seal the deal by hitting three free throws during the final seconds.
In last summer’s NBA draft, Stuckey, who played college ball at Eastern Washington University, was the first-round pick of the Pistons and the 15th overall selection.
FOR KICKS
The Kent high school judo team welcomed athletes from the All Tokyo High School Sports Federation for the 11th annual Cherry Blossom Festival Goodwill match, with the Kent club scoring a 40-30 victory on March 25.
The Kent girls won three of the four bouts. Kentlake’s Kaitlin Johnston (52 kilograms), Kent-Meridian’s Vivian Vu (57 kg) and Kentwood’s Tess Pinkney (78 kg) all won by ippon (knockout). In the 70 kg bout, Japan’s Haruka Nishida defeated Kentridge’s Fiona Kang by yuseigachi (superiority).
The results were reversed on the boys side, with Japan winning three of the four bouts. Kent-Meridian’s Peter Jang prevailed at 81 kg by ippon. At 66 kg, Yuichiro Sai defeated Kentridge’s Quinton Beedle by waza-ari (near fall); Takateru Takeda of Japan won the 73 kg bout by ippon against Kentwood’s Ed Kangk and Ryousuke Hayata of Japan defeated Tyler Westover of Kentlake by ippon at 90 kg.
The Japanese team was made up of 25 athletes and five coaches representing six Tokyo-area high schools. This was the third time the Kent program hosted a group from Japan.
