MENLO — There is a long checklist if an underdog is to upset a highly-ranked, undefeated league opponent on the road.
Northwest Christian checked all the boxes and then some on Thursday, handing previously unbeaten Willapa Valley a 60-51 loss in Menlo.
I think in the first half, they came with that sense of energy and urgency and we were just kind of sleepwalking,” Willapa Valley head coach Jay Pearson said of his team’s first loss of the season after winning 12 straight. “They just outhustled us the first half and their rebounding killed us.”
Northwest Christian (11-2 overall, 9-2 Pacific 2B) started the game on a 6-0 run in what was an ominous beginning for Willapa Valley (12-1, 10-1).
The Vikings cut the first-quarter lead to 13-9 on a pair of Matt Pearson free throws, but NWC scored the final two buckets of the frame to extend its lead to 17-9.
With momentum in its side, NWC kept its foot on the gas pedal, building a 26-9 lead with a 9-0 run in the opening minutes of the second quarter, capped by back-to-back makes in the paint by 6-foot-3 sophomore Davis Yates.
Willapa Valley would cut into the lead once again on the back of a Matt Pearson three followed by two consecutive scores from Peter Hamilton, making the score 26-16.
But every time the Vikings made a run to get back into the game, the Navigators responded. They closed out the half on a 9-4 run, capped by a Tyler Fox 3-pointer followed by a Landon Koukal turnaround jumper at the buzzer to give NWC a 35-20 lead at the break.
Willapa Valley’s Chad Flemitis attempts a shot against two Northwest Christian defenders during the first half of Thursday’s game in Menlo. (Ryan Sparks | Grays Harbor News Group)
NWC head coach Rick Tigges felt it was his team’s defense that set the tone early on.
“We want to be perfect on the defensive end, and I feel like almost every possession tonight we were that,” he said. “We made (Logan Walker) and (Matt Pearson) move off their spots so they weren’t getting easy shots and were having to move to shoot. … That’s what set the tone for us.”
Willapa Valley made a game of it in the third quarter, opening the frame on a 6-0 run to force Tigges to call a timeout to settle the atmosphere.
After Fox drilled another three to give NWC a 42-28 lead with just under three minutes to go in the third, Willapa Valley closed the quarter on an 11-3 run, highlighted by Matt Pearson’s four-point play where he hit a 3-pointer and was fouled at the 1:31 mark. Pearson hit another three with 11 seconds remaining to cut the deficit to 45-39 heading into the fourth quarter.
Early in the fourth quarter, Walker was fouled after grabbing an offensive rebound and made both free throws to bring Willapa Valley to within four at 47-43.
But the Vikings wouldn’t get any closer than that as NWC’s defense continued to challenge Willapa Valley shooters while the Navigators went on a 9-0 run to stretch the lead back to 13 with approximately three minutes left to play.
“I thought the third quarter, we have to play four quarters like that,” Coach Pearson said of his team’s post-halftime play to get back into the game. “We were up in their face, played pressure defense, had a sense of urgency and took some gambles and I think when we went to the 2-3 zone, that was a difference. … That glmpse (of how we played) in the third and fourth, we have to play with that intensity and energy for four quarters and not just a glimpse in time.”
Willapa Valley’s Matt Pearson, right, defends against Northwest Christian’s Tyler Fox on Thursday at Willapa Valley High School. (Ryan Sparks | Grays Harbor News Group)
Despite playing against NWC’s tough defense, Matt Pearson finished with a game-high 27 points, including four 3-pointers, but not much else was going on offensively for Willapa Valley as the Vikings tied the lowest point output of the season. Ironically enough, they scored 51 points in a one-point win over Northwest Christian on Nov. 30 in Lacey.
Walker was Willapa Valley’s only other player to score in double figures, with 10 points to go along with six rebounds. No other Vikings players scored more than six points as the Navigators defense buckled down inside, challenging shots and limiting any second-chance opportunities for the Willapa Valley.
“(Willapa Valley) is a tough team and they rebound hard,” Tigges said. “Their kids are really tough and they get after it, but I felt like mostly, we did a good job. … We just continued to hit the shots we needed to hit to kill their runs.”
While Willapa Valley is still in control of its own destiny in the league-title race, the loss tightens things up a bit in the 2B Pacific League. Willapa Valley, the 3rd-ranked team in the 2B section entering Thursday’s game, holds a one-game lead over Northwest Christian and Life Christian Academy with seven games left on the league schedule.
“You’ve got to give credit to Northwest,” Coach Pearson said. “They were quicker, played better defense and I think they wanted it more than us tonight.”
The Vikings play at 7 p.m. on Saturday at North Beach High School.
NWC 17 18 10 15— 60
Willapa Valley 9 11 19 12 — 51
Top Players: WV — M. Pearson (27 pts.), Walker (10 pts., 6 reb.), Peter Hamilton (6 pts., 13 reb.), Beau Buchanan (6 pts.); NWC — Fox (13 pts.), Jude Phillips (13 pts.), Davis Yates (12 pts.), Koukal (12 pts.), Nick Tarabochia (10 pts.).
North Beach 61, South Bend 50
Reagan Harnagy and Chance Beck scored 15 and 14 points, respectively, as North Beach earned a 61-50 victory over the South Bend Indians on Thursday in South Bend.
The Hyaks (5-6 overall, Pacific 2B) trailed 26-23 at the half but caught fire over the final 16 minutes of the contest. Harnagy scored 13 of his game-high 15 points after the break and got help from teammate Marcus Pope, who scored nine of his 11 points after halftime.
South Bend (2-11, 1-13) was led by Nathon Ashley, who filled up the stat sheet with 14 points to compliment 14 rebounds and three steals.
Drew Rose also collected a double-double for the Indians, scoring 12 points and grabbing 13 rebounds.
North Beach hosts Willapa Valley at 7 p.m. on Saturday while South Bend travels to Ilwaco to take on the Fisherman, also at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
North Beach 10 13 16 21 — 61
South Bend 8 18 10 19 — 50
Top Players: NB — Harnagy (15 pts.), Beck (14 pts.), Pope (11 pts.), Patrick Heyd (8 pts.); SB — Ashley (14 pts., 14 reb. 3 stl.), Rose (12 pts, 13 reb.), Logan Stamos (8 pts.).
Forks 71, Elma 38
Elma’s shooting troubles continued in a 71-38 home loss to Forks on Thursday.
Elma (1-12, 0-2 Evergreen 1A) couldn’t captures its first league victory after getting off to a slow start on the offensive end.
The Spartans regularly pounded the ball inside and got big game out of Trey Baysinger, who scored a game-high 16 points.
Elma’s Jesus Torres hits a layup against Forks on Thursday. (Hasani Grayson | Grays Harbor News Group)
Elma found itself down 38-16 going into halftime, but Eagles head coach Jeff Niemi said he was impressed with the hustle his team showed in the second half.
“The effort was really good tonight,” he said. “These kids try so hard and they play their butts off every night and I’m really proud of them. We’re not scoring, but I can’t fault their effort, they bring it every single night.”
Niemi also mentioned that his team’s hustle is evident in the number of shot attempts as the Eagles have put up 50 or more shot attempts in eight straight games.
Some of those shot attempts started to fall in the fourth quarter where Elma had its best scoring quarter of the game.
Sam Schneider led the Eagles on a night of limited offense with eight points.
Elma will take another crack at getting its first league win with a game at Montesano at 7 p.m.,
Niemi isn’t sure what the outcome will be, but is hoping his team can bring the same energy it had against Forks.
“Montesano is tough, but I keep telling my team to play with that effort and good things will happen,” he said.
Forks 24 14 25 8 – 71
Elma 7 9 9 13 – 38
Top Players: Forks — Baysinger (16 pts.), Cort Prose (14 pts.), Seth Johnson (10 pts.); Elma — Schneider (8 pts), Carter Jacobson (5 pts., 5 reb), Josiah Jones-Wyeth ( 8 reb.)
— Hasani Grayson, Grays Harbor News Group
Ocosta 58, Raymond 48
Ocosta got strong performances from junior Evan Waara to lift the Wildcats over the Seagulls 58-48 on Thursday night in Ocosta.
The Wildcats (7-6, 7-4 Pacific 2B) normally rely on Cole Hatton and Kobe Beck for their offensive production, but Raymond focused much of its defensive energy on the Ocosta duo.
“Raymond had a plan to shut down our top two scorers and they did a good job of disrupting their flow. That left an opening that Evan filled quite well tonight,” Ocosta head coach Jason Quinby said.
With Waara having one of the best games of the season, Raymond (3-10, 3-8) turned to a talented player of its own.
Freshman Tre Seydel scored a game-high 29 points for the Seagulls, hitting jump shots and finishing at the rim on his way to shooting 60 percent from the field.
Ocosta amassed a 31-22 lead by halftime and held off Raymond’s comeback attempt as the Wildcats and Seagulls played evenly for much of the second half.
Raymond head coach Derek Rask said it was a letdown to see his team’s struggles on the road continue.
“This was a disappointing loss for us. We have struggled all season on the road and our road struggles continued tonight,” he said. “I thought we had a difficult time with the pace we try to play at and we couldn’t score the ball effectively.”
Both teams will hit the court again on Saturday. Raymond will play host to Chief Leschi while Ocosta will head up to Lacey to take on Northwest Christian. Both games are scheduled for 7 p.m. tip-offs.
Ocosta 17 14 16 11 – 58
Raymond 12 10 14 12 – 48
Top Players: Raymond – Seydel (29 pts.); Ocosta – Waara (22 pts.), Hatton ( 10 pts.),
— Hasani Grayson, Grays Harbor News Group
