Inclement weather and COVID continue to hamper the prep sports season as several basketball games involving Twin Harbors prep teams were postponed on Tuesday.

A 1A Evergreen League girls basketball showdown between Montesano and Tenino originally scheduled for Tuesday evening has been rescheduled to 5 p.m. on Saturday at Montesano High School.

Montesano and Hoquiam are still scheduled to face off at 7 p.m. Thursday at Hoquiam High School as of Tuesday evening.

A girls hoops game between the Aberdeen Bobcats and the Rochester Warriors set for Tuesday in Rochester has been postponed and rescheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 24.

A 2B Pacific League matchup between Raymond and North Beach in Ocean Shores was postponed as was North Beach’s home game against South Bend originally scheduled for Thursday. Those games have yet to be rescheduled as of Tuesday evening.

For local prep basketball schedules, visit pacificathletics.org for the 2B Pacific League, 1aevergreen.com for the 1A Evergreen League and ahsbobcats.com for Aberdeen Bobcats sports.

Those interested in further information regarding cancellations, postponements and rescheduling of local prep sporting events can contact the preferred school’s athletic department for clarification.

PREP BOYS BASKETBALL

Willapa Valley 45, Naselle 32

Willapa Valley took a big step toward a top spot in the league with a 45-32 victory over Naselle on Tuesday in Menlo.

The Vikings (9-3 overall, 3-0 1B Columbia Valley) took sole possession of first place in the 1B Columbia Valley standings by jumping on the Comets (5-5, 2-2) early and playing a complete defensive game in earning their eighth straight victory.

“We came out very intense, focused and played hard,” Willapa Valley head coach Jay Pearson said after his team opened up a 20-3 lead at the end of the first quarter. “We pushed the ball and defensively, we played great.”

Naselle trimmed the Vikings lead to 10 points by halftime as eight Willapa Valley turnovers in the second quarter allowed Naselle to inch closer.

“We kind of put it on cruise control,” Pearson said, noting his team took too many long-range shots in the period, something he and his coaching staff addressed at halftime. “We settled for jump shots and quit pushing the ball and we can’t do that.”

The Vikings defense continued to clamp down on Naselle, holding the Comets to seven points in the third quarter to go up by 18 entering the final eight minutes of play.

Much of Willapa Valley’s defensive success was due to senior guard Tyler Adkins, who held Naselle leading scorer Colton Lindstrom to five points through three quarters of play.

Adkins led Willapa Valley with 14 points with Gavin Hampton and Derek Fluke adding nine points apiece for a Vikings team that shot 19-of-63 (30%) from the field.

Willapa Valley’s defense recorded seven steals and 50 rebounds, led by Grady Christen with 13 and Hampton, who had 10 boards.

Coach Pearson said his team “took a step toward finding our identity” on Tuesday, particularly in how his players are beginning to understand their roles on the team.

“We have 10 guys who can play and they showed that tonight,” he said. “The league title goes through Naselle and we took a big step toward that.”

Naselle 3 11 7 11 — 32

Willapa Valley 20 4 15 6 — 45

Scoring

Naselle (32) — N/A

Willapa Valley (45) — Adkins 14, Hampton 9, D. Fluke 9, Kolten Fluke 6, Will Metcalf 3, Christen 2, Wil Clements 2