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Willapa Valley 46, Adna 40

Facing a second-straight humbling defeat in its home invitational, the Willapa Valley Vikings made plays on both ends of the floor when it counted most.

The Vikings got a clutch 3-pointer from leading-scorer Logan Walker, a key block by Walker and teammate Allen Deniston, and went a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line in the final moments of a 46-40 victory over the Adna Pirates in the Jack Q. Pearson Holiday Classic on Saturday in Menlo.

After an admittedly lackluster defensive performance in Friday’s 67-63 loss to Winlock, Willapa Valley made a much more concerted effort protecting the rim on Saturday. The Vikings (6-2 overall, 5-1 Pacific 2B) got out to an 8-2 midway through the first quarter, picking up charges, forcing turnovers and getting Adna into early foul trouble.

But Willapa Valley hit a cold spell on offense, missing six shots in a row as Adna climbed to within a point at 11-10 on a Tyler Werner 3-pointer with less than a minute to go in the opening frame.

While the Vikings offense had its peaks and valleys, their defense consistently pestered Pirate shooters. Willapa Valley took a 20-12 lead when Deniston grabbed an offensive rebound —the Vikings’ third of the possession —and scored with 5:42 left in the second quarter.

After a Braden Thomas three cut the Vikings’ lead to 22-18 with just over a minute to go in the half, Walker responded with a three of his own and, after a bucket by Adna’s Chase Collins, Willapa Valley took a 27-20 lead into the break on Kyen Phansisay’s baseline jumper with 12 seconds left.

“One word for tonight was: Respond,” Willapa Valley head coach Jay Pearson said. “Defense is what got us to Spokane (for the state tournament) last year. … Our last three games, we gave up an average of 65.6 (points-per-game).”

Willapa Valley guard Tyler Adkins (3) scores on a teardrop shot while Adna’s Braden Thomas defends during the Vikings’ 46-40 victory on Saturday in Menlo. Adkins led Willapa Valley with 15 points. (Ryan Sparks | Grays Harbor News Group)

Neither team shot well immediately after the break as the two teams combined for a mere 13 points in the third quarter, with Willapa Valley carrying a 33-27 lead into the final quarter.

As the Vikings’ offense stayed cold, the Pirates took advantage. Thomas scored on an alley-oop lay-in followed by a steal, lay-up and one 3-point play to cut the Vikings’ lead to 33-32 with less than a minute elapsed in the quarter.

A minute-and-a-half later, Zander Blankenship-Todd scored in the paint to give the Pirates their first lead of the game followed by a Thomas bucket to give the Pirates a 36-33 lead with 5:31 remaining in the game.

But with the energy sucked from the partisan Willapa Valley crowd, the Vikings did precisely what Coach Pearson had previously instructed —they responded. Walker ended the Vikings’ drought with a three from the elbow to tie the game at 36-36 and, after Adna regained the lead on a Tyler Minkoff basket, Willapa Valley’s Carter Pearson scored on an inbound play to knot the score once again.

Deniston hit both free throws on a 1-and-1 followed by a Minkoff basket as the game was tied at 40 apiece.

The Vikings took the lead at 42-40 when Deniston scored in the paint with 1:03 left.

On the ensuing play, Adna guard Cole Fay drove to the basket but was met by Walker and Deniston, each of whom made clean contact on the ball to block Fay’s attempt. Walker ended up with the loose ball.

“I saw the pick-and-roll coming and Tyler (Adkins) really hedged it,” Walker said of the play. “Cole went. Allen and I stepped up like we were supposed to and the ball got blocked.”

Pearson and Adkins each converted both free throws of 1-and-1 opportunities in the final 30 seconds to secure the Vikings’ hard-fought 46-40 victory.

“Our theme all night was, ‘Let’s play good man-to-man defense, one shot, block out and push the ball,’” Pearson said of what he discussed with his team during a timeout with 53 seconds left on the clock. “Those last two possessions at the end of the game were textbook block-outs and going to get the ball and we were not going to let them, at all costs, get the ball.”

After a performance a day earlier where he felt his team failed to play with intensity in its team defense, Coach Pearson challenged his team prior to Saturday’s contest.

“Going into the game we had to questions we asked. Do you really want this? And, if the answer was ‘yes,’ what are you willing to give for it? They gave everything tonight,” Pearson said.

Walker agreed with his coach’s sentiment.

“It was 100 times better than yesterday,” the 6-foot-3 junior said of his team’s defensive performance on Saturday. “Yesterday, it just wasn’t there. … Today, we looked like a new team.”

Adkins scored 15 points to lead the Vikings.

Walker added 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds and was named the Classic’s MVP.

Pearson scored 10 points for Willapa Valley and joined Adkins and Walker on the All-Tournament Team.

Thomas led all scorers with 20 points and was named to the All-Tournament Team as well.

Adna 10 10 7 13 — 40

Willapa Valley 11 16 6 13 — 46

Tenino 50, Raymond 45

Raymond’s Tre’ Seydel had a solid all-around performance but it wasn’t enough as the Seagulls fell to Tenino 50-45 on Saturday in Tenino.

Seydel scored a game-high 22 points, grabbed eight rebounds and had six steals in the loss as Raymond fell to 2-6 overall this season.

Joseph Villalpando added 12 points for Raymond.

Three Tenino players scored in double figures, led by Logan Brewer, who scored 18 points.

Raymond 8 13 17 7 — 45

Tenino 10 16 13 11 — 50

Taholah 75, North Beach 69

Taholah shot 12-for-21 from 3-point range en route to a 75-69 victory over North Beach on Saturday in Ocean Shores.

James Orozco and Izaiah Mowitch scored 25 points apiece to lead the Chitwhins (5-1 overall).

Tommy Underwood scored 11 points, nine in the fourth quarter, for Taholah, which extended its win streak to four games.

North Beach (1-6) was led by Reagan Harnagy, who scored 22 points.

Josh Bighead and Tre’Vaughn Greene scored 16 apiece for the Hyaks.

Taholah 13 22 20 20 — 75

North Beach 12 13 24 20 — 69

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Willapa Valley’s Olivia Betrozoff, right, defends against Adna’s Tyas Pannette during the Vikings’ 45-26 loss on Saturday in Menlo. (Ryan Sparks | Grays Harbor News Group)

Adna 45, Willapa Valley 26

Willapa Valley’s defense did its job, but unfortunately for the Vikings, its offense couldn’t capitalize en route to a 45-26 loss to Adna in the Jack Q. Pearson Holiday Classic on Saturday in Menlo.

Willapa Valley (5-3) held Adna (8-0) to 18 points in the first half and trailed by just one point at the break after the Vikings’ half-court defense hounded Adna shooters.

But the Vikings struggled to score, shooting 31% as a team on the night.

Willapa Valley’s offense went from cold to frigid in the second half, scoring just one field goal in the third quarter and going scoreless for approximately 6:30 after that.

Olivia Betrozoff scored nine points to lead the Vikings, causing Willapa Valley head coach John Peterson to say Betrozoff “played her best game.” Betrozoff was named to the Classic’s All-Star Team for her efforts.

Britney Patrick scored seven points and had three steals for the Vikings.

Adna 7 11 15 12 — 45

Willapa Valley 9 8 2 7 — 26