WESTPORT — Kristi Raffelson was unstoppable in the post. Erika Snider had a Senior Night to remember.
Raffelson and Snider combined for 52 points as Ocosta overpowered Willapa Valley, 68-47, in a Pacific 2B League girls basketball game Saturday at Westport.
By avenging a 55-42 loss at Menlo last month, the Wildcats (10-4, 14-4) firmly established themselves in third place in the league behind state powers Ilwaco and Life Christian Academy. Willapa Valley fell to 9-6 in league and 11-7 overall.
Particularly in the second half, the Vikings had no answer for Raffelson. The 6-foot junior scored 21 of her 29 points in the final two quarters while finishing with 14 rebounds.
One of three Wildcats honored in pre-game Senior Night festivities, Snider was Ocosta’s chief scoring threat early in the contest. The 5-7 guard amassed 23 points — 20 of those in the first three quarters.
Junior wing Kaylee Barnum had a double-double with 12 points and a dozen assists.
For all of those offensive exploits, however, it was Ocosta’s defense that set the tone in this one.
Clogging the passing lanes and giving Valley different looks with different zones and even a smattering of man-to-man defense, the Wildcats forced the Vikings to shoot almost exclusively from the perimeter.
They had some success from downtown, as sophomore guard Katie Adkins nailed five 3-point shots en route to a 22-point outing.
But the Vikings shot only 25 percent from the field and wound up with more 3-point field goals (eight) than two-pointers (seven).
“Our plan was to keep them off-balance and uncomfortable and feed the post late in the game,” Ocosta coach Jason Barnum said.
In the final portion of a three-game slate against first-division teams (Willapa Valley coach Colby Rogers had previously dubbed it “Championship Week”), the Vikings struggled on both ends of the court early. They committed 15 of their 20 turnovers in the first half.
They even squandered a breakaway layin opportunity at the end of the first quarter when a player lost track of time and didn’t launch the shot before the buzzer.
“I thought we were just flat in the first half,” Rogers observed. “It’s been a long, emotional week for us and we didn’t come prepared for this environment.”
The Wildcats scored the game’s opening six points and never looked back. They led 27-13 at the half.
Taking much better care of the ball, the Vikings made a couple of short-lived second-half runs.
They closed to within 10, at 53-43, on Britney Patrick’s rebound basket with 4:50 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Ocosta answered with a play that was like money in the bank all night — Barnum hitting Raffelson with lob passes underneath — on the next two possessions. With Raffelson scoring 11 of her team’s final 15 points, the Wildcats pulled away.
In addition to Snider, Ocosta’s Alivia Marsh and Shaleah Sinnett were recognized in Senior Night ceremonies.
Both teams return to action Monday, with Ocosta visiting Raymond and Willapa Valley hosting Chief Leschi.
W. Valley 7 6 22 12 — 47
Ocosta 13 14 21 20 — 68
Willapa Valley (47) — Cook 9, Adkins 22, Patrick 11, Friese, E. Layman, B. Betrozoff, Swartz 5. FG — 15-60 (.250). FT —9-16.
Ocosta (68) — Erika Snider 23, Hopfer 2, Marsh, K. Barnum 12, Raffelson 29, Denny 2, Martin, Emily Snider, L. Barnum, Sinnett. FG — 28-66 (.424). FT — 9-18.
JV — Willapa Valley 52, Ocosta 34.
