Montesano opened up league play with a victory as we review Wednesday’s Twin Harbors prep hoops games.
GIRLS PREP BASKETBALL
Montesano 51, Tenino 11
PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Montesano forward Jillie Dalan (24) scores during a 51-11 win over Tenino on Wednesday at Montesano High School.
Montesano dominated from tip-off to buzzer in a 51-11 victory over Tenino on Wednesday at Montesano High School.
The Bulldogs (5-6 overall, 1-0 1A Evergreen) opened up its 1A Evergreen League schedule using a smothering defense that created turnovers en route to a 19-1 first-quarter lead.
“We got off to a really good start,” Montesano head coach Mark Mansfield said. “Our defense came out with a lot of intensity. We created turnovers and attacked the basket early.”
Monte’s defense allowed no more than four points in any quarter while eight Bulldogs scored points in the game on the offensive end.
Freshman point guard Tieander Olson led Monte with 18 points followed by sophomore post Jillie Dalan with 18.
“Really solid defensive effort tonight and a good way to start league,” Mansfield said.
The Bulldogs take on Eatonville at 7 p.m. Friday at Eatonville High School.
Tenino 1 4 2 4 – 11
Montesano 19 12 16 4 – 51
Scoring: Montesano – Olson 18, Dalan 13, Schrader 6, Parkin 6, Wade 3, Busz 2, Blancas 2, Stanfield 1.
W.F. West 66, Aberdeen 32
Aberdeen had its troubles slowing down W.F. West in a 66-32 loss on Wednesday in Chehalis.
The Bobcats (6-5, 1-4 2A Evergreen) fell behind early as W.F. West’s pressure defense and the scoring of Bearcats standout Julia Dalan led to a 40-16 deficit by halftime.
Aberdeen made adjustments after halftime to make the second half more competitive, but it was too little, too late as the Bearcats ran away with the victory.
Three Bearcats finished in double figures, with Dalan leading all scorers with 26 points.
“She was quite the beast to contain and we knew that going in there,” Aberdeen head coach Curtis Eccles said of Dalan. “We tried our best to defend her.”
Aberdeen committed 22 turnovers in the game, which Eccles said was manageable considering the opponent.
“That isn’t bad against a team of that caliber and I thought we did a good job handling their pressure,” he said.
Aberdeen was led by Bentley Brown with 15 points.
No other Bobcat scored more than five in the game.
Bobcats guard Sophie Knutson led Aberdeen with 8 rebounds.
The Bobcats take on Raymond-South Bend at 7 p.m. Thursday at South Bend High School.
Aberdeen 4 12 9 7 — 32
W.F. West 19 21 15 11 — 66
Scoring: Aberdeen – Brown 15, A. Troeh 5, Knutson 4, Z. Troeh 4, Lamont 2, Shoemaker 2. W.F. West — Dalan 26, Simpson 14, Fragner 10, Cushman 7, Boeck 6, Deskins 2, Gruginski 1.
Naselle 45, Willapa Valley 36
Willapa Valley lost for the fifth straight time with a 45-36 loss to Naselle in a 1B Columbia Valley League game on Wednesday in Naselle.
The Vikings (7-5, 4-2 1B Columbia Valley) trailed by three after one quarter but saw Naselle (4-7, 2-1) score 22 points in the second quarter to take an 18-point lead into halftime.
Willapa Valley tried to rally in the second half, but the gap was too wide to close as the Vikings’ losing streak extended to five games with the loss.
“We came off of four very disappointing losses just before the break. It took us a couple of quarters to get our heads up to play our type of basketball game,” Valley head coach Dawn Keeton said. “Though we were able to recover and close the gap, we still were unable to battle all the way back.”
Valley was led by eighth-grade guard Tylar Keeton (13 points, 12 rebounds) and senior forward Hadlee Russell (10 pts., 11 reb.), each of whom recorded a double-double in the game.
The Vikings also recorded season highs in rebounds with 40 and steals with 11 as a team.
But a poor shooting night – going 13 for 43 from the field (30%) and 6 of 19 from the free-throw line (31.5%) – killed any hopes Valley had of a comeback.
“We’re hoping to learn a lot from this game and end the first half of league on a positive,” Coach Keeton said.
Valley has a quick turnaround as it will take on the Washington School for the Deaf in a league game at 5:45 p.m. on Thursday in Puyallup.
Willapa Valley 4 7 13 12 – 36
Naselle 7 22 7 9 – 45
Scoring: Willapa Valley – Keeton 13, Russell 10, Channell 8, Merkel 3, Hurley 2. Naselle – Katyrynik 18.
BOYS PREP BASKETBALL
Morton-White Pass 77, Willapa Valley 73
Despite playing a great offensive game, Willapa Valley ended up on the wrong side of a 77-73 loss to Morton-White Pass on Wednesday in Menlo.
The Vikings (4-5, 3-0 1B Columbia Valley) had four players score in double figures and shot 45% from the field on 29-of-64 shooting, but Valley had issues slowing down MWP, which shot 30 for 68 from the floor (44%).
“I thought we had a great start offensively in the first quarter. We carried that offensive momentum for the entire game I thought,” Valley head coach Derek Rask said. “Defensively, we still struggled guarding the 3-point line. (Morton-White Pass’) Judah Kelly is such a tough cover and competitor. He was a difference maker for them tonight.”
Valley shot 7 of 18 from the free-throw line (39%), which Rask said was a key component to the loss.
“I thought the difference in the game was our inability to be efficient at the free-throw line,” he said. “I loved our fight and competitiveness and we played hard for four quarters. We just came up a bit short.”
Blaine King led the way for Valley with 24 points to go along with four assists.
Nate Fluke (19 points, 14 rebounds) and Brody Ritzman (16 pts., 10 reb.) each recorded double-doubles while Connor Keeton scored 12 points for Valley.
The Vikings take on the Washington School for the Deaf at 7 p.m. on Thursday in Puyallup.
Morton-White Pass: 22 12 18 25 – 77
Willapa Valley 25 12 16 20 – 73
Scoring: Willapa Valley – King 24, Fluke 19, Ritzman 16, Keeton 12, Swartz 2.
Other scores
Forks 73, Ocosta 25
North Beach 46, South Bend 30
