BOYS PREP BASKETBALL

Willapa Valley 54, Northwest Christian 45

If the Willapa Valley Vikings are to win a Pacific League title, one of the teams standing in their way is the Northwest Christian Wolverines. And after the Vikings suffered an early-season league loss to NWC, Monday’s rematch became a must-win for the Vikings.

Willapa Valley cleared that hurdle and then some, using a stifling defense and clutch late-game shooting to pick up a 54-45 victory over the Wolverines at Willapa Valley High School.

With neither team shooting well, Willapa Valley limped to an 11-10 lead in the first quarter.

Willapa Valley (13-4 overall, 12-2 Pacific 2B) extended its lead to six points after sophomore guard Tyler Adkins drilled a 3-pointer to give the Vikings a 22-16 lead with just under two minutes left in the second quarter.

But Northwest Christian (13-3, 11-3) immediately responded when junior Landon Koukal hit a three of his own.

Logan Walker scored on a drive with 48 seconds left to give Willapa Valley a 24-19 halftime lead.

But the Wolverines used an early second-half run, combined with a sluggish start to the half for the Vikings, to tie the game game with less than three minutes elapsed in the third quarter. Assisted by a Willapa Valley offense that started the half 0-for-4 with two turnovers, NWC ran off seven straight points and tied the game at 26 when senior Noah Phillips hit a 3-pointer with 5:45 left in the frame, forcing a Willapa Valley timeout.

The Vikings fed Walker after the timeout and the standout guard produced, scoring four straight points to kick off a 9-0 Willapa Valley run that culminated with another Adkins three, giving the Vikings their largest lead of the game at 35-26.

Willapa Valley’s Logan Walker (2) hits a jump shot while being defended by Northwest Christian’s Jude Phillips (4) and Daniel Dominguez during Monday’s game at Willapa Valley High School. Walker led all scorers with 18 points. (Ryan Sparks | Grays Harbor News Group)

NWC closed the third on a 6-2 run to cut Willapa Valley’s lead to 37-32 entering the final eight minutes of play.

The Wolverines’ Davis Yates scored in the paint to trim the Vikings’ lead to 39-36 halfway through the fourth quarter. And that’s when Willapa Valley decided enough was enough.

Vikings guard Chad Flemetis stole a NWC pass and was fouled. The senior subsequently converted both free throws.

On their next possession, Willapa Valley guard Carter Pearson grabbed an offensive rebound and scored to push the Vikings lead to 43-36.

One play later, Flemetis fed the ball to Walker in the high-post. Walker drew a triple-team and passed back to Flemetis, who hit a three from the elbow to give the Vikings a 46-36 lead and set off a roar from the crowd with 2:49 left in the game.

“The game comes to you,” Flemetis said of making the clutch shot in a critical spot of the game. “Right as I shot it, I knew it was going in.”

Just a few minutes before Flemetis hit the big shot he was in the locker room, getting a cut above his left eye worked on and going through concussion protocols after banging heads with Phillips when the two scrambled for a loose ball at half-court.

Flemetis, who stated he felt no ill-effects from the collision at the time, was eager to get back in the game.

“I wanted to stay in, but you can’t play bleeding,” he said. “I was ready to go and fired up. It gets me hyped up for the game.”

Flemetis’ three was a back-breaker for the Wolverines, as NWC was forced to foul the rest of the way.

But Walker and Flemetis combined to go a perfect 6-for-6 from the line down the stretch, with Flemetis hitting two free throws with 3.6 seconds left to put the final nail in the coffin and give Willapa Valley the all-important 54-45 win.

Willapa Valley hit 20-of-47 shots (43%) in the game, including 6-of-20 (30%) from beyond the arc. The six free throws the Vikings made in the fourth quarter were the only shots from the line Willapa Valley attempted in the game.

Walker led all scorers with 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting.

Flemetis added 14 points on 4-of-12 from the field.

But it was Willapa Valley’s defense, one that held NWC to a season-low 45 points, that Vikings head coach Jay Pearson credited with the victory.

“We played well defensively. It was one of our better nights,” he said. “Our 2-3 and 1-3-1 zones really bothered them.”

Koukal and Yates led NWC, scoring 13 and 12 points, respectively.

With the win, Willapa Valley leapfrogs Northwest Christian for second place in the Pacific League, one game behind league-leading Life Christian.

Northwest Christian 10 9 13 13 — 45

Willapa Valley 11 13 13 17 — 54

Life Christian 81, Raymond 57

Raymond’s Tre’ Seydel had another monster game but it was Life Christian’s balance that made the difference in the Eagles’ 81-57 victory on Monday in Raymond.

Seydel finished with 35 points and 10 rebounds for the Seagulls (5-11, 5-9 Pacific 2B) but it wasn’t enough as four players scored in double figures for league-leading Life Christian (13-3, 13-1), led by Omari Maulana’s 18 points.

“We matched up against a quality ball club tonight. They are athletic, long, and can shoot well from the perimeter,” Raymond head coach Derek Rask said. “I felt as though our kids battled hard from the tip-off and executed our game plan well.”

McCartney Maden added 11 points and Adrian Quintana had five steals for Raymond.

Life Christian 21 26 19 15 — 81

Raymond 10 20 10 17 — 57

Winlock 61, Hoquiam 45

Down nine points with time left, the game got away from Hoquiam as Winlock earned a 61-45 victory over the Grizzlies on Monday at Winlock High School.

With three minutes left in the game and the Grizzlies (5-9, 1-3) down by nine, Winlock’s Bryce Cline took over, scoring 13 of his game-high 21 points to give the No. 2 team in the 2B class the victory.

“I thought overall our kids played a great defensive game,” said Hoquiam head coach Curtis Eccles, whose team was as close as four points halfway through the third quarter. “You could tell (Winlock) is a very experienced team but I thought we did a good job.”

Cameron Bumstead finished with 13 points to lead Hoquiam.

Ben Estes scored nine points and Zach Elsos grabbed 12 rebounds for the Grizzlies.

Hoquiam 13 11 10 11 — 45

Winlock 18 15 11 19 — 61

Naselle 61, Ocosta 46

Some late lapses proved costly for Ocosta in a 61-46 loss to Naselle in a non-league game on Monday in Westport.

Cole Hatton (15 points, 11 rebounds) and Omar Luque (11 pts., 10 reb.) each recorded double-doubles as Ocosta (7-9, 7-7 Pacific 2B) kept the scored within two possessions for much of the game.

“Both teams did a good job on defense for the first three quarter until we had some lapses in the fourth, which allowed them to pull away,” Ocosta head coach Jason Quimby said. “We missed a lot of shots from close range which could have kept the game close.”

Kobe Rudolph added 10 points and three assists for Ocosta.

Naselle 17 11 13 20 — 61

Ocosta 16 11 8 11 — 46

GIRLS PREP BASKETBALL

Willapa Valley 49, Northwest Christian 25

Willapa Valley relied on its stingy defense to earn a 49-25 victory over Northwest Christian on Monday in Menlo.

The Vikings (10-6, 9-5 Pacific 2B) held the Wolverines (3-13, 3-11) to just 10-of-48 (21%) from the field and less than 10 points scored in each quarter. Willapa Valley forced 20 turnovers in the game.

A big 21-point third quarter by Willapa Valley put the game away.

“We had seven turnovers in the first quarter. But once we calmed down and took care of the ball, we got out and ran and hit a few shots,” Vikings head coach John Peterson said. “I know it sounds like a broken record … but if you can play defense like that you will have a chance in most games you play. … It’s a solid win at home so we are pleased.”

Willapa Valley’s Katie Adkins led all scorers with 19 points, including hitting four 3-pointers.

Britney Patrick added 10 points and 14 rebounds in a double-double effort for the Vikings.

Northwest Christian 6 7 7 5 — 25

Willapa Valley 12 6 21 10 — 49

BOYS PREP SWIMMING

River Ridge 109, Aberdeen 58

Sophomore Russell Bates won two individual events and Aberdeen won four events overall to highlight the final home meet of the season on Monday afternoon at the YMCA of Grays Harbor.

Hosting River Ridge, the Bobcats picked up a bit more first-place punch against the Hawks, but the visitors flew away with a 109-58 non-league dual meet win.

Bates won the 50-yard freestyle and the 100 backstroke, while fellow sophomore Colton Burns won the 100 freestyle. The duo paired up with Brice Kola and Isaac Brandt to win the 200 freestyle relay.

“Good races for the winners and good races overall for the team,” Aberdeen head coach Rob Burns said. “Our relays have been strong all year and they are really shaping up to be a vital piece of our team with the postseason meets coming up.”

Kola took second in the 50 free behind Bates, while he took second to lead the Bobcats in the 100 breaststroke. Brandt took second overall in the 100 free behind Burns.

During the meet, Aberdeen honored its four seniors — Jakhongir Ayupov, Jesus Junco, Colin Kenoyer and Kola — for their contributions to the program.

“Brice has been with the team four years, Colin three and Jesus and Joha are first-year swimmers,” coach Burns said. “They’ve all been positive influences and hard workers this season and in their previous seasons with the team. It has been a pleasure to have them on the team and I wish them nothing but success in the future.”

Coach Burns cited the four seniors for their work and dedication to the season.

On Saturday, Aberdeen hits the road to the Southwest Washington Invitational at Mark Morris High School in Longview.

— For the Grays Harbor News Group

Ryan Sparks | Grays Harbor News Group Willapa Valley’s Logan Walker (2) hits a jump shot while being defended by Northwest Christian’s Jude Phillips (4) and Daniel Dominguez during Monday’s game at Willapa Valley High School. Walker led all scorers with 18 points.