Montesano and Aberdeen squared off while Elma took on Kalama as we review Saturday’s girls prep basketball games on the Harbor.

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GIRLS PREP BASKETBALL

Montesano 51, Aberdeen 50

Aberdeen had its chances late, but failed to produce the game-winner as Montesano held on for a 51-50 win on Saturday at Aberdeen High School.

In a foul-filled game, neither side held more than a two-score lead until Monte (7-4 overall) took a 28-20 advantage on a free throw by sophomore Makena Blancas with 2:26 left in the first half.

Aberdeen (2-5) would close the gap to 28-24 by halftime on a jump shot by sophomore guard Bentley Brown late in the second quarter.

RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Aberdeen’s Bentley Brown (22) works through the Montesano defense during a 51-50 loss on Saturday at Aberdeen High School.

The Bobcats got to within a bucket when Brown made a runner to cut the Monte lead to 29-27 at the 5:40 mark of the third quarter, but Blancas responded with a three that sparked a 10-2 Monte run to put the Bulldogs up 39-29.

But Aberdeen closed out the quarter with a three by senior Abby Mainio and two free throws from freshman guard Shay Dunlap to trail 39-34 entering the final frame.

The Bobcats trailed 47-41 at the halfway mark of the fourth quarter and whittled their way into striking distance.

Aberdeen had a chance to tie the game at 48-all when Sophia Knutson scored and was fouled, but the sophomore guard missed the subsequent free throw as Monte held a slim one-point lead with 1:09 to play.

Monte junior forward Jillie Dalan converted 1-of-2 free throws at the other end to put Monte up 49-47 and Monte got the ball back after an Aberdeen pass sailed out of bounds with 49.7 seconds left.

Bulldogs sophomore guard Tieander Olson also made 1-of-2 free throws in a trip to the line with 32.2 seconds remaining to put Monte up 50-47.

Dalan then blocked a 3-point attempt by Brown and was fouled, hitting 1 of 2 from the charity stripe for a 51-47 lead with 22.1 on the clock.

Brown then banked in a three to cut the deficit to 51-50 with just under 10 seconds to play.

Aberdeen was forced to foul, but Monte kept the door open, going 0 for 4 from the line in the game’s waning moments.

A free-throw miss by Monte’s Ava Schrader was rebounded by Aberdeen freshman guard Shay Dunlap, who turned to outlet to Knutson, but her pass sailed out of bounds as Knutson turned to run up court, allowing Monte to inbound the ball and run off the final ticks of the clock.

“We just didn’t execute,” Aberdeen head coach Curtis Eccles said. “We had a good play set up, we were just in too much of a hurry. … We have a lot of freshmen and sophomores out there and a game like this, where it comes down to one possession, is new to them.”

Brown led all scorers with 17 points while Knutson had 11 for Aberdeen.

Aberdeen had 35 turnovers in the game despite handling Monte’s press defense relatively well, but foul troubles caught up with the Cats as three players fouled out of the game, including senior post Alyvia Lamont, who was a force with seven points and four rebounds before fouling out early in the third quarter.

Monte was led by Blancas with 14 points while Dalan and Olson finished with 13 and 11, respectively.

RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Montesano’s Makena Blancas (21) drives against Aberdeen’s Shay Dunlap during the Bulldogs’ 51-50 win on Saturday at Aberdeen High School.

Eccles said his young team showed improvement since a 42-21 loss to Monte to open the season on Dec. 5.

“I’m proud of the girls,” he said. “Compared to the last time we played this team – which was somewhat of a runaway early – we held our own tonight. I told them it was the little things that kind of add up. The foul trouble hurt. … But at the end, you have to give them credit for having that chin and having a last shot to potentially win the game.”

Aberdeen opens 2A Evergreen Conference play at 7 p.m. on Tuesday at Centralia.

Monte will face Hoquiam in a key 1A Evergreen League matchup at 6:45 p.m. Tuesday in Hoquiam.

Montesano 15 13 11 11 – 51

Aberdeen 14 10 10 15 – 50

Scoring: Montesano – Blancas 14, Dalan 13, Olson 11, Schrader 8, Forster 2, Jones 2, Wintrip 1. Aberdeen – Brown 17, Knutson 11, Lamont 7, Mainio 7, S. Shoemaker 4, Dunlap 2, Kolodzie 2.

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PHOTO BY MIKE ROBERTS Elma’s Keke Bol (10) puts up a one-handed shot during a 56-43 loss to Kalama on Saturday in Elma.

Kalama 56, Elma 43

Elma fell to Kalama 56-43 in a non-league matchup on Saturday at Elma High School.

The Eagles (2-8) led by a point after the first quarter thanks in large part to nine points by sophomore forward Keke Bol, who scored nine points in the period.

But Elma was held to nine total points in the second quarter to trail 30-24 at halftime and was outscored in the second half 26-19 en route to the loss.

Bol finished with 21 points to lead the Eagles while freshman Mikayla Roberts scored 12 points for Elma.

The Eagles host Tenino at 6:45 p.m. on Tuesday.

PHOTO BY MIKE ROBERTS Elma’s Mikayla Roberts (5) attempts a jump shot during a 56-43 loss to Kalama on Saturday at Elma High School.

Kalama 14 16 12 14 – 56

Elma 15 9 11 8 – 43

Scoring: Kalama – Doerty 24, Johnson 12, Bromley 6, Cadigan 5, Hollifield 4, Rinard 2. Elma – Bol 21, Roberts 12, Moore 6, Tolentino 2.

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Toutle Lake 67, Hoquiam 19

Hoquiam was out of it early in a 67-19 loss to Toutle Lake on Saturday at Toutle Lake High School.

The Grizzlies (6-5) struggled from the opening tip and never recovered, trailing by 19 after the first quarter and scoring no more than six points in any period of the game.

Hoquiam went 6 of 30 from the field (20%) and committed 30 turnovers in the game.

“Perfect storm of challenges today against a great Toutle Lake team where our ship sank quickly and often,” Hoquiam head coach Chad Allan said. “We learned for the second time this season that if you do not show up as a team to match or rise above the opponents energy level, you will get embarrassed.”

The Ducks (11-1) had four players score in double figures and shot 53% from the floor on 26-of-49 shooting, including nine 3-pointers, while committing just eight turnovers in the game.

“We see so much bad basketball with most teams shooting 20% in a game that people get shocked when a team shoots over 50% as the Ducks did,” Allan said. “Our lack of defensive pressure gave them the opening, but credit them for finishing.”

Hoquiam hosts Montesano in the Grizzlies’ 1A Evergreen League opener at 6:45 p.m. on Tuesday.

Hoquiam 4 4 5 6 – 19

Toutle Lake 23 20 18 6 – 67

Scoring: Hoquiam – Gordon 8, Dapoeman 4, K. Brodhead 3, A. Brodhead 2, Stewart 2. Toutle Lake – Thayer 16, K. Dean 14, L. Dean 13, Thomas 11, Auckland 7, Kilponen 4, Spinneberg 1.

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Other games

Taholah 81, North Beach 28