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Hoquiam 53, Centralia 42

Rylee Vonhoff had a double-double to lead the Hoquiam Grizzlies to a 53-42 home win over Centralia on Wednesday, ending a two-game losing streak.

Vonhoff dominated inside for the Grizzlies (5-3 overall). The 6-foot senior center had a game-high 16 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks on the evening.

“Rylee is becoming that go-to girl,” Hoquiam head coach Denny Hinchen said.

The first-year varsity head coach added he was pleased with the improvement his team made after an admitted lackluster performance in a 40-35 loss to Onalaska on Monday.

“The main thing I liked tonight was ball movement. We worked on it all day in practice,” he said. “We move the ball and find spacing and we’re going to get better looks, and we’re getting there.”

Hoquiam held a 20-17 lead mid-way through the second quarter when disaster struck. Grizzlies junior Maddie German, one of Hoquiam’s top players, fell to the ground after suffering a knee injury and was unable to return to the game. German left the game with 12 points on 6-for-7 shooting.

Rather than wilt, Hoquiam responded by holding Centralia (1-5) to 20 points in the second half to pick up the non-league victory.

Hoquiam sophomore Sharaya Brydon scored 10 points, grabbed four rebounds, dished out four assists and had four steals in a performance that impressed her head coach.

“She’s been so consistent,” Hinchen said of Brydon’s game. “She keeps grinding and keeps working hard.”

Hinchen noted his team improved in their defense and transition game compared to Monday’s loss.

“We’re barely shooting 20 percent, that’s why we work on transition, defense and other aspects of the game,” he said, adding senior guard Maya Jump was key in Hoquiam protecting its rim. “She made (Centralia’s) point guards get rid of the ball early. She set the tone and let us set up for our defense.”

Hoquiam’s Jade Cox runs the break during a game against Centralia on Wednesday. (Ryan Sparks | Grays Harbor News Group)

Overall, Hinchen saw Wednesday’s win as a step in the right direction for his team.

“We are trying to create a winning, consistent program,” he said. “In this system, the harder you work, the more you get rewarded and they’re buying into it.”

Hoquiam takes on Aberdeen in a rivalry game at 7 p.m. on Friday at Aberdeen High School.

Hinchen isn’t about to take the Bobcats lightly.

“Records are thrown out the door when Hoquiam plays Aberdeen,” he said.

Centralia 11 1 9 11 — 42

Hoquiam 12 15 9 17 — 53

Top Players: Hoquiam — Vonhoff (16, 13 reb., 5 blk.), German (12 pts.), Brydon (10 pts., 4 reb., 4 asst., 4 stl.).

Montesano 55, Adna 37

The Montesano Bulldogs rallied to erase an early deficit to earn a 55-37 victory over Adna on Wednesday at Adna High School.

The Bulldogs (6-3) found themselves down 9-0 after the first three minutes of the game.

But Monte got back into the game with its defense. After allowing 15 points in the first quarter, the Bulldogs held the Pirates (5-2) to six points in the second quarter.

“We made some defensive adjustments to slow down Adna’s offense and started chipping away at their lead,” Monte head coach Julie Graves said.

The second half belonged to the Bulldogs as they outscored Adna 28-16 to earn the victory.

“We played the second half with the same intensity in which we finished the first half,” Graves said. “Great team defense, patience on offense and unselfish play contributed to our win.”

The Bulldogs shot 23-for-60 while the Pirates hit just 16-of-53 shots.

Monte’s Glory Grubb came off the bench to score a team-best 13 points. The senior guard also had seven rebounds, five assists and six steals for the Bulldogs.

“She came off the bench and had a strong floor game,” Graves said of Grubb.

Zoe Hutchings scored 12 points and had nine rebounds and Katie Granstrom had 12 points, eight rebounds, five assists and held Adna’s Payton Aselton to just two points on the night.

Paige Lisherness added nine points and eight rebounds for Monte, which plays Bellevue Christian at noon on Dec. 27 at the Cloud 9 Christmas Classic at Lynden Christian High School.

Montesano 14 13 16 12 — 55

Adna 15 6 9 7 — 37

Top Players: Montesano — Grubb (12 prs., 7 reb., 6 stl, 5 asst.), Hutchings (12 pts., 9 reb.), Granstrom (12 pts., 8 reb., 5 asst.), Lisherness (9 pts., 8 reb.); Adna — Pannette (10 pts.), Wellander (10 pts.).

Aberdeen JV 46, Wishkah Valley 20

Aberdeen’s junior varsity team got 17 points from Aaliyah Huila en route to a 46-20 victory over Wishkah Valley on Wednesday at Wishkah Valley High School.

Char Gutierrez led Wishkah (2-1) with six points and 13 rebounds on a night when offense was hard to come by for the Loggerettes.

“Nothing would go in,” said Wishkah head coach Dave Brusz, whose team shot 8-for-50 from the field. We’re only five deep and one of our starters fouled out early in the third quarter. We had to use young, inexperienced players, but that’s not excuse. We need to play better.”

Brooke Haskey added 10 rebounds for Wishkah.

Chantheada No and Kim Shale scored eight points apiece for Aberdeen JV.

Wishkah takes on Willapa Valley JV at 7 p.m .on Jan. 2.

Aberdeen JV 6 15 8 17 — 46

Wishkah Valley 10 2 2 6 — 20

Top Players: Wiskah — Gutierrez (6 pts., 13 reb.), Haskey (10 reb.); Aberdeen JV — Huila (17 pts.), No (8 pts.), Shale (8 pts.).