Ocosta and Willapa Valley will square off for the 1B District 4 championship after both teams won their respective semifinal matches on Monday.

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BOYS PREP BASKETBALL

Ocosta 53, Columbia Adventist 42

In their first foray into 1B District 4 postseason play, the Ocosta Wildcats find themselves in the district-championship game and state tournament.

The Wildcats reached the title game with a 53-42 victory over Columbia Adventist Academy in a district-semifinal matchup on Monday at Adna High School.

Ocosta (16-6 overall) did it with defense early on, holding the Kodiaks (17-3) to four points in the second quarter and scoreless for the final six minutes of the first half to take a 21-17 lead into the break.

While the defense continued to play strong in the third quarter – limiting CAA to nine points in the frame – the Wildcats offense got hot behind the play of senior guard Dalton Welch and freshman post Sonny Beard, which paired up on several drive-and-kick and pick-and-roll plays as Ocosta led 40-26 heading into the fourth quarter.

With time on their side, the Wildcats made some opportune shots deep in the shot clock in the fourth quarter to keep the Kodiaks at arm’s length and preserve the 53-42 victory.

“Tonight my guys played their butts off. Our defensive intensity was awesome, especially in the second quarter where we made a little run to grab the lead,” Ocosta head coach Jason Quinby said. “Overall, I could not be more proud of my kids’ effort.”

Beard had what Quinby called “a monster game” with 16 points, 20 rebounds and five blocks.

Welch added 14 points, six rebounds and a pair of steals for Ocosta, which reached a boys basketball district-championship game for the first time in several decades.

DAILY WORLD FILE PHOTO Ocosta guard Dalton Welch (1) scored 14 points in the Wildcats’ 53-42 victory over Columbia Adventist Academy in a 1B District 4 semifinal game on Monday at Adna High School.

The Wildcats will face Willapa Valley for the district title at 4 p.m. on Saturday at Montesano High School.

In their two previous meetings this season, Ocosta lost to Valley 46-29 and 58-41.

“I believe we’ll be playing for the first boys basketball district championship since before I was born, which is at least 40 years,” Quinby said. “We’ll get a third matchup with Valley, which is all the more fun as both teams have earned their way there. Hopefully, the third time’s a charm for us.”

CAA 13 4 9 16 – 42

Ocosta 11 10 19 13 – 53

Scoring: CAA – 3 16, 13 13, 21 5, 10 4, 22 2, 33 2. Ocosta – Beard 16, Welch 14, Agramon 9, Prigmore 8, Turner 6.

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Willapa Valley 63, Wahkiakum 57

Willapa Valley rallied in the second half to earn a 63-57 victory over Wahkiakum in a 1B District 4 Tournament semifinal game on Monday in Adna.

The Vikings (20-2) led 14-7 after the first quarter but saw the Mules (12-10) rally with 19 points in the second frame to take a 26-25 lead over Valley at halftime.

Willapa Valley trailed by as much as nine points in the third quarter before rallying by attacking the basket and getting to the free-throw line.

The Vikings outscored the Mules by 10 over the final eight minutes of the game to advance to the district-title game and punch a ticket to the state tournament.

“We knew this was going to be a battle. We played Wahkiakum twice this season and both games came down to the wire,” Valley head coach Derek Rask said. “We adjusted and we had to dig deep and fight back into the game. Despite some defensive adversity, we never stopped and stayed disciplined down the stretch. I thought we did a much better job of attacking the hoop in the second half. … I’m really proud of our team as we earned a state berth with this win. Our kids earned it.”

Sophomore power forward Brody Aust (17 points, 11 rebounds) and senior point guard Nathan Fluke (10 pts., 11 reb.) each recorded double-doubles to lead Valley.

Vikings junior guard Blane King (14 pts.) and sophomore point guard Lucas Lusk (11 pts., 5 assists, 5 steals) also scored in double figures.

The Vikings will look to secure their third district championship in the past four years when they face Ocosta in the title game at 4 p.m. on Saturday in Montesano.

The two 1B Coastal League foes played twice this season, with Valley winning both games by scores of 46-29 and 58-41.

Wahkiakum 7 19 21 10 – 57

Willapa Valley 14 11 18 20 – 63

Scoring: Willapa Valley – Aust 17, King 14, Lusk 11, Fluke 10, Ritzman 6, Russell 5.

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Other games

1B District 4 elimination game

Taholah 50, Pe Ell 34

(Taholah versus Wahkiakum, 1B District 4 elimination game, 6 p.m. Wednesday at Raymond High School)