GIRLS PREP BASKETBALL

Montesano 58, Aberdeen 25

The Montesano Bulldogs led by 24 points at the end of the first quarter and cruised to a 58-25 victory over the Aberdeen Bobcats on Monday at Aberdeen High School.

Guard Katie Granstrom led the way for the Bulldogs, filling up the stat sheet with eight points, seven rebounds, seven steals and four assists. The senior was nearly perfect from the charity stripe, going 6-for-7 from the free-throw line.

Zoe Hutchings and Lexi Lovell led Monte (3-1 overall) in points, scoring 13 and 12, respectively.

The Montesano trio of Granstrom, Lovell and Matti Ekerson combined for 19 steals. In addition to Granstrom’s aforementioned seven swipes, Lovell and Ekerson had six steal apiece.

Monte’s defense limited the rebuilding Aberdeen squad to 12-of-46 shooting on the night.

Aberdeen junior guard Annetthe Orona led the Bobcats (0-5) with seven points. Sophomore forward Skyler Taylor added six points for the Bobcats.

Monte will get little time to rest as it faces Black Hills on the road at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Aberdeen prepares for their second and final showdown this season with Myrtle Street rival Hoquiam. The two will face off at 7 p.m. on Friday in Aberdeen.

Montesano 28 8 11 11 — 58

Aberdeen 4 6 8 7 — 25

Top Players: Montesano — Hutchings (13 pts.), Lovell (12 pts., 6 stl.), Glory Grubb (9 pts.), Granstrom (8 pts., 7 reb., 7 stl., 4 asst.), Ekerson (4 pts., 6 stl., 5 reb.), Paige Lisherness (7 reb.). Aberdeen — Orona 7 pts.), Taylor (6 pts.), Kennedy Pruett (4 pts.), Kaely Chum (4 pts.).

Elma 44, King’s Way Christian 23

The Elma Eagles used a stifling defense and had balanced scoring to earn a 44-23 victory over previously-unbeaten King’s Way Christian on Saturday in Vancouver.

Elma center Jalyn Sackrider scored a team-high 11 points for an Eagles offense that had at least four players score seven points or more.

Quin Mikel was close behind Sackrider with 10 points followed by Molly Johnston (8 points) and Kali Rambo (7 pts.).

Elma’s defense held the Knights to eight points through the first three quarters and held a 28-4 lead at halftime. The Eagles forced an eye-catching 30 turnovers for the game.

“Our defense was on point,” Elma head coach Lisa Saila. “Team defense was the key to this win.”

Abby Cummins led the Knights (3-1) with nine points on the evening.

With the victory, Elma keeps its undefeated record intact at 5-0.

The Eagles face Cascade Christian at 7 p.m. on Tuesday at Elma High School.

Elma 14 14 7 9 — 44

King’s Way Christian 1 3 4 15 — 23

Top Players: Elma — Sackrider (11 pts.), Mikel (10 pts.), Johnston (8 pts.), Rambo (7 pts.); KWC — Cummins (9 pts.), MacKenzie Ellerston (5 pts.)

Willapa Valley 49, Life Christian 15

Willapa Valley held a 19-point lead after eight minutes of play as the Vikings routed a rebuilding Life Christian Academy team, 49-15 in Tacoma on Monday.

Junior forward Hailee Layman led the Vikings with 12 points while Hannah Cook added nine points and six steals for Willapa Valley, which led 21-2 after the first period and 31-2 at the half.

“I thought we came out with a lot of energy,” Willapa Valley head coach John Peterson said. “We tried to come out and play really hard and the kids did that. They shared the ball really well and everyone did a nice job.”

Brittany Patrick added eight rebounds and Katie Adkins and Lanissa Amacher each had three assists for the Vikings.

Willapa Valley plays at South Bend at 7 p.m. on Thursday.

Willapa Valley 21 10 11 7 —49

Life Christian 2 0 6 7 — 15

Top Players: Willapa Valley — Layman (12 pts.), Cook (9 pts., 6 stl.), Patrick (8 rebs.), Adkins (3 asst.), Amacher (3 asst.)

BOYS PREP BASKETBALL

Willapa Valley 70, Life Christian Academy 59

The Vikings earned what head coach Jay Pearson stated was “one of the biggest wins since I’ve been here,” as Willapa Valley won for the first time at Life Christian Academy, 70-59, on Monday in Tacoma.

In its biggest test of the season, Willapa Valley (5-0) never let the home crowd become a factor in the game, jumping out to a 22-8 lead at the end of the first quarter.

“We played by far our best quarter to start it off,” Pearson said, adding that sophomore Logan Walker set the tone early on. “He’s a pure shooter. … He came out and hit two big threes to get us rolling.”

After an even 16-16 second quarter, the Vikings extended its lead by outscoring Life Christian — which had never lost to Willapa Valley on its home floor — 19-13 in the third period.

The Vikings led by as much as 20 points in the fourth quarter before going cold from the free-throw line, missing six freebies in a row.

Life Christian (3-1) seized the opportunity to cut the lead down to single digits at nine late in the game, but the Vikings held firm for the 11-point victory.

“Overall, it’s a good team win,” Pearson said. “It’s their first loss here against us since they’ve joined the league (2014-15). … It’s a difficult place to win.”

Senior guard Matt Pearson, who entered the evening scoring 21.5 points-per-game, was just shy of the average with 20 points to lead the Vikings. He also had five steals and five assists in what his coach said was a “great floor game.”

Walker finished with 17 points to go along with eight rebounds.

Chad Flemetis scored in double digits for Willapa Valley with 10 points while Beau Buchanan added six points and eight rebounds.

Before Monday’s game, Willapa Valley was 1-6 against Life Christian. The Vikings have now won two straight games over the Eagles, as Willapa Valley won their last meeting 68-56 on Jan. 22 in Menlo.

Willapa Valley 22 16 19 13 — 70

Life Christian 8 16 13 12 — 59

Top Players: Willapa Valley — Pearson (20 pts., 5 asst., 5 stl.), Walker (17 pts., 8 reb.), Flemetis (10 pts.), Allen Deniston (9 pts.), Buchanan (6 pts., 8 reb.).