In this first weekend since school resumed following the winter break, the high-school basketball season is intensifying. Last night, Chief Sealth International High School hosted Cleveland HS, with Sealth winning the boys’ varsity game but not the girls’ matchup. Notes from both, ahead:

From WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand, who covered the games at the Sealth gym:

The Sealth boys welcomed visiting Cleveland by giving the Eagles a vigorous workout in the first half and then followed that up by letting Cleveland stick around for the clinic Sealth’s Charlie Smith put on in the third quarter.

Sealth took the game 57-41 with Smith putting up 27 points, most of that in the second half, when Sealth went on a 14-point run in the third. Cleveland didn’t lack for opportunities when the second half began, but they could not find the basket. Sealth pretty much controlled the ball from the opening minutes of the game, when they went to a full-court press led by senior Pepe Hernandez, who managed to get in the way of most of Cleveland’s passes. He finished the night with six points and junior Bronte Corbray had 10. Cleveland’s Donny Weber led his team’s scoring with 12 points.

The girls’ varsity game finished out the night with Cleveland’s ninth-ranked team cruising to a 57-14 win. Very early in the game, Sealth got into foul trouble, and they did not recover. By the end of
the first half they’d registered nine fouls and managed to put up only six points. Cleveland’s scoring was led by Joyce Harrell with 13 points and Alexia Mefi with 12. All Cleveland’s starters scored. Sealth’s high scorer was junior guard Zoe Haywood.