Montesano and Hoquiam earned key league victories as we review Thursday’s girls high school hoops action on the Harbor.

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GIRLS PREP BASKETBALL

Montesano 40, Elma 21

Montesano beat Elma 40-21 in a defensive-minded 1A Evergreen League matchup on Thursday at Elma High School.

The Bulldogs (10-5 overall, 4-0 1A Evergreen) held a slim 12-8 lead over the Eagles (3-11, 2-2) are the first quarter, but began to extend their lead via defensive pressure in the second frame.

After Elma senior guard Nency Guzman hit a 3-pointer to cut Monte’s lead to 14-11 with 6:19 to play in the first half, the Bulldogs defense put the clamps down on the Eagles.

Monte’s full-court press and half-court zone defense wreaked havoc on Elma ball handlers, creating turnovers and extra possessions for Elma.

The Eagles had no answer, failing to score another point in the half as Monte went on a 8-0 run to end the frame.

If not for Elma’s hustling defense of its own, the score at the half may have been much worse than the 22-11 deficit the Eagles faced at the break.

PHOTO BY MIKE ROBERTS Montesano sophomore point guard Tieander Olson (12) glides to the hoop against Elma’s Amaya Lewis and Mikayla Roberts (5) during the Bulldogs’ 40-21 victory on Thursday in Elma.

Both defenses continued to dominate in the third quarter, with the two teams combing to score 11 points as Monte entered the final frame up 28-16.

The Bulldogs would put any Eagles comeback hopes to rest in the first few minutes of the fourth quarter, jumping out to a 35-18 lead after a three by sophomore point guard Tieander Olson and a pair of free throws by senior post Ava Schrader.

Monte would hold the Eagles to five points in the quarter – 10 in the second half – en route to the 40-21 victory.

“We did a nice job defensively. We created some turnovers,” Monte head coach Mark Mansfield said. “I’ve got to give Elma credit, they didn’t go away. We kind of feel like we didn’t capitalize on the turnovers we created. We didn’t shoot well tonight and were a little stagnant offensively.”

Monte junior post Jillie Dalan led all scorers with 14 points to go along with six rebounds and six steals.

PHOTO BY MIKE ROBERTS Montesano junior forward Jillie Dalan (background) puts up a jump shot against Elma’s Amaya Lewis (24) and Lynsee Bednarik during the Bulldogs’ 40-21 win on Thursday at Elma High School.

Olson had 10 points, seven steals and four assists while Schrader led Monte with 14 rebounds and had four steals.

The Bulldogs shot 21% from the field on 14-of-68 shooting and had 40 rebounds and 28 steals to 18 turnovers as a team.

Montesano got to the free-throw line 18 times, converting 11 (61%).

“They made it difficult on us in the offensive end,” Mansfield said of Elma’s defense. “We need to learn from that and get better. It’s never easy to come over here and play. We’re happy to walk out with the W, but we have a lot of work to do.”

“Our defensive effort was great tonight. I was so proud of the girls across the board,” Elma head coach Brandi Henry said. “I think it was an overall great team effort, starting with the bench. They were providing us with energy. That was one of the things we were focusing on. They ignited a fire in us and I think it showed on the floor. I was very proud of those girls for holding Monte to 40, that was huge.”

Elma was led by sophomore forward Keke Bol with 12 points.

PHOTO BY MIKE ROBERTS Elma’s Keke Bol (right) shoots against Montesano’s Makena Blancas during the Eagles’ 40-21 loss on Thursday in Elma.

The Eagles went 7 of 31 from the field (23%) and 4 of 6 from the free-throw line (67%).

“We’ve definitely struggles scoring this season,” Henry said. “Monte’s defense is great and they are long and lanky. … I thought we did a great job fighting down low for the boards. It was a physical game and I thought they did a great job staying composed.”

Montesano faces Tenino at 5 p.m. on Monday.

Elma hosts Heritage in a non-league matchup on Monday.

Montesano 12 10 6 12 – 40

Elma 8 3 5 5 – 21

Scoring: Montesano – Dalan 14, Olson 10, Schrader 6, Forster 2, Wade 2, Jones 2, Blancas 2, Wintrip 2. Elma – Bol 12, Moore 4, Guzman 3, Roberts 1, Bednarik 1.

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Hoquiam 67, Rochester 23

Hoquiam dominated the paint in a 67-23 win over Rochester on Thursday at Hoquiam Square Garden.

The Grizzlies (10-6, 3-1 1A Evergreen) defeated the Warriors (1-14, 0-4) by taking a 25-9 lead in the first quarter thanks to 12 points by junior post Sydney Gordon.

Six different Grizzlies recorded a field goal in the second quarter as Hoquiam held a comfortable 43-11 lead at halftime.

The Grizzlies controlled the third quarter as well, outscoring the Warriors 20-4 thanks to 10 points by freshman forward Aaliyah Kennedy, allowing Hoquiam to rest its starters in the fourth quarter.

Kennedy finished with 20 points, seven rebounds and six steals while Gordon had 19 points in three quarters of play to lead Hoquiam.

“They both played really well together when we needed them most,” Hoquiam head coach Chad Allan said. “Tonight, we were able to use our size advantage and defensive pressure to create scoring opportunities.”

Allan added freshman guard RenaeJah Burtenshaw (6 points, 5 steals) “had great energy tonight and locked people down on defense” and stated Avery Brodhead and Austyn Capoeman “really came in and stepped up with defense and rebounding.”

The Grizzlies shot 49% from the field on 28-of-57 shooting, had 22 steals and nine turnovers to 25 for Rochester.

“I want to commend Rochester and their coaches for the body of work they are starting,” Allan said. “We have been where Coach Rivas and the Warriors are now for many years and I love how hard they all work for one another. They will do nothing but get better.”

Hoquiam hosts Ilwaco at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

Rochester 9 2 4 8 – 23

Hoquiam 25 18 20 4 – 67

Scoring: Rochester – L. Dupont 6, Cintron 4, S. Dupont 4, Hoover 3, LeBaron 2, Rodriguez 2, Estrada 2. Hoquiam – Kennedy 20, Gordon 19, LaBounty 5, K. Brodhead 5, Stewart 5, Burtenshaw 4, Capoeman 3, A. Brodhead 2, Standstipher 2, Kruger 2.

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Willapa Valley 45, Columbia Adventist 27

Willapa Valley’s defense led the Vikings to a 45-27 victory over Columbia Adventist Academy on Thursday in Menlo.

The Vikings (7-6) led 9-5 after a low-scoring first quarter but led by the defensive intensity of junior captain Rilyn Channell, Valley dominated the second quarter to take a 27-14 lead at halftime.

“In the second quarter, our defense picked it up quite a bit,” Valley head coach Dawn Keeton said. “Our junior captain Rilyn Channell had five steals and she just pressured the ball and contended possessions.”

After holding CAA (2-10) to eight points in a third quarter where “shots just weren’t falling for either side,” according to Coach Keeton, the Vikings opened the final frame on an 8-0 run to extend the lead to 43-22 and all but secure the victory.

Valley’s Tylar Keeton had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds with Lauren Matlock scoring 10 points for the Vikings.

Channell had four points, 10 rebounds and a team-high five steals for the Vikings, which had 12 steals as a team.

Valley went 18 of 48 from the field (37.5%) and had 39 rebounds and 27 turnovers.

“Our energy was great this game. We’ve been working on that consistently … We have to continue to work on maintaining positive possessions and controlling the ball,” Coach Keeton said. “The energy definitely reflected in the defense. The defense helped increase that energy so we could turn it into positive possessions on the other side.”

Valley faces Mary M. Knight in a 1B Coastal League game at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday at Mary M. Knight High School.

Columbia Adventist 5 9 8 5 – 27

Willapa Valley 9 18 7 11 – 45

Scoring: WV – Keeton 12, Matlock 10, Fluke 8, Merkel 6, Channell 4, Hurley 3, Ashley 2.

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North Beach 37, Ocosta 31

North Beach edged Ocosta 37-31 in a non-league game on Thursday in Westport.

The Hyaks (2-10) and Wildcats (1-9) were tied at 20-20 at halftime and were locked in a close game heading to the fourth quarter, with North Beach leading 30-29.

But the young Wildcats managed just two points over the final eight minutes of the game to suffer the loss.

Sophomore Elly Mirante led Ocosta with 12 points and eight rebounds.

Peyten Morris had nine points and senior Gabby Ness scored eight points for the Wildcats, which shot 22% from the field on 10-of-45 shooting.

The Wildcats had 25 rebounds and 29 turnovers as a team.

Ocosta faces Lake Quinault at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday in Amanda Park.

North Beach faces Chief Leschi at 6 p.m. on Tuesday in Puyallup.

North Beach 6 14 10 7 – 37

Ocosta 7 13 9 2 – 31

Scoring: Ocosta – Mirante 12, Morris 9, Ness 8, Wolfley 2.

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Other games

Forks 60, North Beach 18 (Wednesday)