Sultan took a slight lead in the three-way battle for second place in the North Sound Conference by stopping the visiting South Whidbey High School boys basketball team 65-57 Tuesday, Jan. 22.

The Turks (5-3, 6-11) now lead the Falcons (4-3, 11-6) and Cedar Park Christian (4-3, 8-9) by a half game in the league standings. King’s (8-0, 14-4) remains in first.

South Whidbey will try to get back on track when Granite Falls (0-7, 2-14) visits at 6:45 p.m. Friday, Jan. 25.

Sultan used a balanced attack to subdue the Falcons as five Turks accounted for all but 2 points: Tanner Force, 17; Cameron Gunderson, 14; Austin Weiderman, 12; Austin wood, 10; and Bradley Higgins, 10.

Gunderson scored 8 points in the first quarter to offset 7 by South Whidbey’s Jacob Ng, and the Turks built a 17-12 lead.

The Falcons’ Kody Newman scored 10 of South Whidbey’s 13 points in the second quarter, but Sultan scored 16 behind a pair of threes by Weiderman, and the Turks took a 33-25 lead into the locker room.

Newman scored 8 points and Levi Buck 6 as South Whidbey cut slightly into the Sultan advantage in the third quarter. Force had 6 points and the Turks remained in the lead, 48-42, heading into the final period.

Newman added 8 points in the fourth quarter — all off free throws — but South Whidbey couldn’t catch up.

Newman ended with 28 points, Dexter Jokinen 9, Ng 7, Buck 6, Sterling Patton 5 and Nick Young 1.

Buck added 11 rebounds, three blocks and two steals.