Hoquiam put its size advantage to good use, dominating in the paint to earn a 57-44 win over Columbia-White Salmon in the first round of the 1A District 4 Tournament on Thursday in Hoquiam.
The Grizzlies (13-7 overall) got 32 points and 16 rebounds from senior center Chloe Kennedy as Hoquiam shot 53% on 19-of-36 shooting from inside the 3-point line.
Senior forward Ashlinn Cady added seven points, eight rebounds and four assists as Hoquiam’s strategy was to attack the paint, according to Grizzlies head coach Chad Allan.
“We knew we had an advantage inside with Ashlinn Cady and Chloe Kennedy tonight and took advantage of it as much as possible,” he said.
Hoquiam jumped out to a 22-13 lead after the first quarter thanks in large part to Kennedy, who dominated the period with 15 points.
The Grizzlies held a 35-24 lead at the half and took control of the game after holding the Bruins (11-8) to seven points in the third quarter, taking a commanding 50-30 lead entering the final period of play.
PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Hoquiam’s Ashlinn Cady (12) puts up a shot during the Grizzlies’ 57-44 win in the first round of the 1A District 4 Tournament on Thursday in Hoquiam.
“We came out and played a solid, balanced first quarter to start everything flowing,” Allan said. “Ella Folkers and Kaitlyn Brodhead really buckled down on defense and the whole team crashed the boards.”
Senior guard Graci Bonney-Spradlin scored 11 points and dished out a team-high six assists for the Grizzlies, which shot 45% on 22-of-49 shooting from the field.
Hoquiam outrebounded CWS 41-19 – including 15-3 on the offensive glass – and forced 19 Bruins turnovers.
With the victory, Hoquiam advances to the district semifinals where it will meet Seton Catholic in a matchup scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday in Vancouver.
Columbia-White Salmon 13 11 7 13 – 44
Hoquiam 22 13 15 7 – 57
Scoring: CWS – Blankenship 16, Bryan 10, Aman 7, Reed 6, Rubio 4. Hoquiam – Kennedy 32, Bonney-Spradlin 11, Cady 7, Brodhead 7.
Raymond 65, Kalama 46
Raymond kept its season and hopes of a berth in the state playoffs alive with a 65-46 victory over Kalama in a 2B District 4 Tournament elimination game on Thursday at Black Hills High School.
The Seagulls (17-5) got big games from sophomore Karsyn Freeman and freshman Kassie Koski to outplay a competitive Chinooks squad.
Raymond led 13-4 after one quarter but Kalama (9-12) rallied to trim the deficit to 23-20 at the half as the Gulls struggled to find its offense.
“In the first half, we struggled with offensive rhythm and the physicality of the Kalama guards,” said Raymond head coach Jason Koski, whose team had 14 turnovers to just eight field goals over the first 16 minutes of play.
Coach Koski found the right quintet of players in the second half, keeping Freeman, Kassie Koski, Kyndal Koski and Alia Enlow on the floor to create chances.
The strategy paid off as the Gulls scored 28 points in the third quarter – led by Kassie Koski’s 15 points on five 3-pointers – to take a comfortable 57-38 lead into the fourth period.
“In the third quarter, we were able to find a good combination to keep on the floor that would play hard and create scoring opportunities,” he said.
In the fourth quarter, Raymond shooters buried three 3-pointers to outscore the Chinooks 14-8 over the final eight minutes of the game to preserve the victory.
Raymond was led by Freeman (27 points, 13 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 assists) and Kassie Koski (23 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, assist, block).
The Seagulls outrebounded Kalama 51-38, had 15 assists as a team and committed 16 turnovers as a team, five in the second half.
“Key to the game was not giving up offensive rebounds and limiting turnovers in the second half,” Coach Koski said. “We weren’t the prettiest the whole game, just the prettiest enough to get the W.”
Raymond will take on Ilwaco in a loser-out game at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday at Castle Rock High School.
Kalama 4 16 18 8 – 46
Raymond 13 10 28 14 – 65
Scoring: Kalama – Johnston 26, Doerty 6, Johnson 5, Larson 4, Given 2, Meyer 2, Brandenburg 1.
Raymond – Freeman 27, Kassie Koski 23, Enlow 5, Glazier 4, Kyndal Koski 3, Kongbouakhay 3.
Willapa Valley 50, Pe Ell 24
Willapa Valley rode its defense to a 50-24 victory over Pe Ell in a 1B District 4 Tournament quarterfinal game on Thursday at Willapa Valley High School.
The Vikings (16-6) held Pe Ell (13-9) to four points in the first quarter and three in the second to take a commanding 33-7 lead at halftime.
Willapa Valley outscored Pe Ell in the third quarter 11-6 en route to the victory.
Willapa Valley was led by senior forward Grace Huber (18 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists), freshman guard Lauren Matlock (12 points, 2 rebounds) and senior guard Brooklyn Patrick (8 points, 8 rebounds, 9 steals, 6 assists).
The Vikings shot 43% from the field on 20-of-47 shooting, but it was Willapa Valley’s defense that was key to victory.
Valley held the Trojans to 23% from the floor on 11-of-47 shooting and kept Pe Ell star senior Charlie Carper to nine points in the game.
With Valley trailing 4-2 early, the Vikings defense kept Pe Ell scoreless until the 2:16 mark of the second quarter.
“We play good defense,” Valley head coach John Peterson said. “I thought our kids were ready to play. Defense is hard and you have to want to play it and they did tonight.”
With the victory, the Vikings advance to the district semifinals where they will face Taholah at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Taholah High School.
Pe Ell 4 3 6 11 – 24
Willapa Valley 15 18 11 6 – 50
Scoring: Willapa Valley – Huber 18, Matlock 12, Patrick 8, Emery 5, Channell 2, Russell 2, Hurley 2, Wilson 1.
Other scores
1A District 4 Tournament
Seton Catholic 66, Elma 30
2B District 4 Tournament
Wahkiakum 61, South Bend 31 (South Bend eliminated)
PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Hoquiam’s Ella Folkers (14) rises for a shot against Columbia-White Salmon’s Sonya Rubio (24) during the Grizzlies’ 57-44 win in the first round of the 1A District 4 Tournament on Thursday in Hoquiam.
