It might not have been the prettiest offensive game they’ve had this season, but the North Beach Hyaks will take the win just the same.

Utilizing a distinct height advantage, North Beach pounded the glass and made life difficult for Montesano shooters in earning a 46-34 win on Wednesday in Montesano.

North Beach (4-2 overall) held Montesano to just 15 points in the first half as the Bulldogs (1-7) hit just 6-of-20 (30%) shots over the first two quarters and was often limited to one-and-done opportunities on the offensive side of the court.

“North Beach brought the energy that (Hyaks head coach) Larry Moore coached teams always have and their big men created some problems for us,” Montesano head coach Doug Farmer said of the Hyaks, which featured five players on the roster listed at 6-foot-2 and above. “We never quite looked comfortable on the offensive side of things.”

RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD North Beach point guard Josh Bighead (20) drives to the basket while being defended by Montesano’s Trent Adams (23) and Jackson Busz in the second half of the Hyaks 46-34 victory on Wednesday at Bo Griffith Memorial Gymnasium in Montesano.

North Beach took advantage of its size in the first half, pounding the offensive glass to build a 28-15 lead by halftime.

The Hyaks were led by senior center Tre’Vaughn Greene, who is listed at 6-foot-9 and scored eight of his game high 15 points off of offensive rebounds in the first half.

Montesano never really threatened in the second half as the Bulldogs continued to struggle from the floor, hitting just 4-of-23 (17%) shots over the final 16 minutes of play.

While North Beach’s offense slowed over the final half — thanks in large part to a Montesano’s improved rebounding — the Hyaks kept the Bulldogs at a double-digit deficit for the remainder of the game, peaking at a 44-27 lead on a Daniel Castaneda 3-pointer with 1:53 left to play.

RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD North Beach senior Daniel Castaneda scored nine points on three key 3-pointers during the Hyaks 46-34 victory over Montesano on Wednesday at Bo Griffith Memorial Gymnasium in Montesano.

Montesano finished going 10-for-43 (23%) from the floor, with a good chunk of Monte’s points coming on 11-of-15 (73%) shooting from the free-throw line as North Beach got into foul trouble in the second half.

“Our defense kept Monte at bay,” Hyaks head coach Larry Moore said. “I think (Monte head coach) Doug (Farmer) made some nice adjustments and they did a better job at keeping us out of the flow and I think sometimes we are a little bit impatient. We want to go inside, but not unless it’s open. … The rebounding was a factor.”

North Beach had 38 rebounds in the game, 16 of those by Greene, including nine on the offensive glass.

Hyaks point guard Josh Bighead scored 12 points to go along with 10 rebounds, four assists and eight steals — five of which were converted into breakaway lay-ups.

North Beach shot 19-for-56 (34%) from the field for the game.

“Our focus on offense was to get a good shot and our focus on defense is the same every time: Lock down and get a rebound,” Bighead said.

After a disappointing league loss to undefeated Chief Leschi last Friday, Bighead said North Beach was champing at the bit to get a win in Montesano.

“We definitely had a chip on our shoulder coming in. We’ve haven’t beat Monte in years and they are a really athletic school,” he said. “So it felt great to come in here with our younger crew, work hard on the floor and get a W.”

Moore said the victory “builds confidence for us” heading into the bulk of the league season after the holiday break.

“I’ve always loved playing on this gym floor because you never know, we might end up playing a district game here and it’s nice for the kids to have the experience playing on this floor,” he said. “We need games to keep kids engaged during the winter break because if you don’t, it’s almost like starting all over again.”

“For sure it boosts our confidence,” added Bighead, whose thoughts were also on the future of the program. “Especially for some of our younger guys that can come out and run point without me on the floor and without Tre’. We want to see that with our younger guys. We want them to be independent and be able to run the court by themselves.”

North Beach is scheduled to host Taholah at 3 p.m. on Dec. 29 while Montesano’s next contest is set for 7 p.m. on Dec. 28 at Ilwaco.

North Beach 11 17 8 10 — 46

Montesano 7 8 8 11 — 34

Scoring

North Beach (46) — Greene 15, Bighead 12, Castaneda 9, Curry-Sith 5, Teague 5

Montesano (34) — Adams 10, Chris Olsen 5, Lovell 5, Soren Cobb 4, Jaxson Wilson 3, Josh Wills 2, Jackson Busz 2, Tyce Peterson 2, Camden Taylor 1

Willapa Valley 56, Pe Ell 37

Three Vikings scored in double figures as Willapa Valley defeated Pe Ell 56-37 on Wednesday at Pe Ell High School.

Tyler Adkins scored a team high 16 points to lead the Vikings (6-3 overall, 2-0 1B Columbia Valley), which has now won five games in a row after starting the season 1-3.

Riley Pearson added 12 points while Willapa Valley’s Derek Fluke had 10 points and tied with Grady Christen for the team lead in rebounds with eight.

The Vikings trailed 13-12 after the first quarter but outscored the Trojans (3-4) 30-10 combined in the second and third quarters. The key to the Vikings rally was switching to a zone half-court trap defense that created turnovers and lead to transition buckets, according to Willapa Valley head coach Jay Pearson.

Willapa Valley shot 20-for-44 (45%) from the field, including 6-of-18 (33%) from beyond-the-arc, but made just 10-of-25 (40%) free throws, a stat Coach Pearson said would need to improve “if we are going to beat better teams in the state.”

As a team, the Vikings had 14 assists, 30 rebounds (16 offensive) and 14 steals for the game.

“This was a good win for us in a gym where we usually struggle,” Coach Pearson said.

Willapa Valley hosts the Jack Q. Pearson Holiday Classic Invitational next week. The Vikings are scheduled to face Winlock on Wednesday followed by Oakville on Thursday.

Willapa Valley 12 18 12 14 — 56

Pe Ell 13 7 3 14 — 37

Scoring

Willapa Valley (56) — Adkins 16, Pearson 12, D. Fluke 10, Kolten Fluke 5, Wil Clements 3, Christen 3, Landon Isaksen 3, Will Metcalf 2, Gavin Hampton 2

Pe Ell (37) — N/A

Other scores

Forks 54, Hoquiam 39