GIRLS PREP BASKETBALL

2B District IV

Willapa Valley 62, Rainier 44

Willapa Valley is headed to regionals for the first time since 2014 with 62-44 win over Rainier in the semifinals of the 2B District IV Tournament on Wednesday at WF West.

The Vikings and Mountaineers were locked in back-and-forth battle for the entire first half, with Willapa Valley protecting a slim 25-21 lead after the first two quarters of play.

The Vikings expanded on their lead once they exited the locker room, starting the third frame on a 12-4 run.

Hannah Cook sunk 4-of-5 shot attempts from the field in the third quarter.

Cook shot 1-for-6 from the field in the first half and said the Vikings didn’t make any major offensive adjustments in the second half, they just needed to start hitting shots.

“Shots just started falling and we got a little more confident and kind of settled in a little bit,” she said.

Willapa Valley got a 3-pointer each from Katie Adkins and Brooke Friese to help the Vikings put up 21 points in the third period en route to a 46-30 lead heading into the fourth.

Willapa Valley’s offensive explosion gave it the lead but a focused defensive effort prevented a comeback.

Most of the Vikings’ attention was on Mountaineers guard Kaeley Schultz, who had to put up 33 shots in scoring her game-high 27 points.

Willapa Valley head coach John Peterson said he thought junior forward Britney Patrick would present Schultz with a tough matchup.

“We’re not tall, but we’re kind of long and Britney Patrick is long,” he said. “Britney is only 5-foot-8 but she’s got really long arms. She’s a great athlete and I just thought her length and her quickness would bother her.”

Patrick also dropped 14 points while dealing with the challenging defensive assignment.

The Vikings also paid a lot of attention to Faith Boesch, who averages 10 points a game but finished Wednesday’s contest with four points on 1-for-11 shooting.

The Vikings looked to counter Boesch’s shooting by sending Adkins at her. Peterson said she wanted Adkins to literally follow Boesch everywhere.

“We told Katie that if Boesch goes to the concession stand to get a pop, get two straws and go with her,” he said. “We told her not to help (on other shooters) because if you let her get her feet set she can really shoot threes.”

Willapa Valley’s next challenge will be Ilwaco, who the Vikings will face on Friday (time and location to be determined).

The Fisherman got the better of the Vikings in both league meetings this season. Ilwaco beat Willapa Valley 46-39 on Dec. 20 and 60-52 on Jan. 28.

Peterson said he’ll start working on a game plan Thursday after taking some time to enjoy the victory over Rainier.

“I told myself that if we could win by one I was going to be happy, but to win by this much. That’s a fine team we played,” he said. “We’re going to enjoy this for the evening and start planning tomorrow.”

Cook said the Vikings are confident despite the previous losses to Ilwaco and thinks they can pull off the upset on Friday.

“It’s going to be a good game and probably be really close. But I think we’re playing really well right now and we can do it,” she said.

Willapa Valley 17 8 21 15 – 62

Rainier 1011 9 14 – 44

Top Players: Willapa Valley – Patrick (14 pts., 3 ast., 6 reb.), Cook (13 pts., 5 reb.) Adkins (12 pts.), Cami Swartz ( 8 reb. 2 blk.); Rainier – Schultz (27 pts.)

Wahkiakum 61, South Bend 25

South Bend’s offense was ground to a halt, going scoreless in the second quarter in a 61-25 loss to No. 1 Wahkiakum in a 2B District IV quarterfinal game at WF West on Wednesday.

South Bend was off to a promising start against one of the top 2B teams in the state an was trailing 8-7 early in the first quarter.

The Mules then began to pull away, using three straight 3-pointers to go on a 9-0 run with three minutes to go in the first frame.

South Bend fought back to stay within striking distance but ran into a stubborn Mules defense, causing the Indians to go 0-for-11 from the field in the second quarter.

South Bend head coach Gary Wilson said his team ran into trouble when faced with Wahkiakum’s press defense that changed the pace of play.

“In that first quarter and midway through that second quarter, we were battling them,” he said. “What got us was we got into too fast of a game and that definitely created the gap.”

South Bend had a hard time shutting down Mules forward Ellie Leitz, who led Wahkiakum with 21 points.

Alise Rohr was the lone Indian in double figures with 10 points.

South Bend will have to fight its way through the consolation side of the bracket if it hopes to reach the 2B Regional Playoffs. The Indians” quest for a regional berth continues with a game against Onalaska on Friday (time and location to be determined).

Onalaska beat South Bend 44-39 on Dec. 28 and Wilson said his team is looking forward to avenging the loss.

“The girls are excited to play them again,” he said. “We’ll have to play them well, but we’re up for the challenge and ready to go.”

South Bend 17 0 6 2 – 25

Wahkiakum 23 8 16 14 – 61

Top Players: South Bend — Rohr (10 pts.); Wahkiakum — Leitz (21 pts.), Macie Elliot (11 pts.)

BOYS PREP BASKETBALL

2B District IV

Willapa Valley 46, Toutle Lake 44

Willapa Valley earned its first trip to the 2B Regional Playoffs in four years with a down-to-the-wire victory over Toutle Lake on Wednesday in the 2B District IV quarterfinals at Castle Rock High School.

Up by one point with 16 seconds left, Willapa Valley senior Matt Pearson grabbed a rebound off a Ducks miss and was promptly fouled, sending him to the free-throw line for a 1-and-1 opportunity.

Pearson sank the first freebie, giving the Vikings a 46-44 lead. His second shot missed and Toutle Lake took the rebound and called timeout, setting up one final play with six seconds left on the clock.

Willapa Valley head coach Jay Pearson set up his defense, ensuring that Toutle Lake’s leading scorers, center Mike Adams (13.7 points per game) and guard Logan Gravenhorst (12 ppg), were denied an easy look.

Neither touched the ball on the game’s final play, as a last-second desperation heave from approximately 28 feet out was off the mark, giving Willapa Valley the victory and a date in the district semifinals.

The game was a tense back-and-forth affair for the final minute-plus leading up to the game’s final play. No. 2 Toutle Lake captured its first lead of the game with two minutes to play, but Pearson drained a shot to regain the lead.

Toutle Lake (18-4) took the lead one more time on the following possesion, but Willapa Valley once again responded when sophomore forward Logan Walker scored to give the Vikings the lead for good.

The victory was Willapa Valley’s first over Toutle Lake in 14 years and holds a bit of sweet redemption after the Vikings suffered three tough losses in districts a season ago.

“I’m very proud of our boys,” Coach Pearson said. “It’s been a long time since we’ve been over that hump.”

Walker finished with a team best 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting.

Pearson finished with 18 points after hitting three 3-pointers in the first quarter to help the Vikings out to an early 13-9 lead.

“He set the tone for us tonight,” Coach Pearson said while adding his bench, specifically Carter Pearson and Allen Deniston, provided a lift when starter Beau Buchanan and Peter Hamilton ran into first-half foul trouble. “(C. Pearson and Deniston) played quality minutes for us tonight. … They played so well we didn’t have to worry about when to put our starters back in.”

Willapa Valley (18-4) will face league-rival Life Christian Academy on Friday (time and location to be determined). The two teams split this season’s league games, each winning on the road, and are more than familiar with each other.

After getting the proverbial monkey off their backs, Coach Pearson is hoping to ride this wave into the district final.

“They’re all tough this time of year,” he said of his opponents. “But tonight’s win is a huge momentum builder for us.”

Willapa Valley 13 14 9 10 —46

Toutle Lake 9 10 15 10 — 44

Top Players: Willapa Valley — Walker (21 pts., 5 reb.), M. Pearson (18 pts.).

— Ryan Sparks, Grays Harbor News Group

WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Highline 60, Grays Harbor 47

Grays Harbor couldn’t find a rhythm from the field and produced its lowest point total of the year in a 60-47 loss at Highline on Wednesday.

Grays Harbor (11-9, 5-3 NWAC West) was led by Charleea Armstrong, who put up 18 points and brought down seven rebounds on a night where the Chokers struggled offensively.

“This game was pretty simple. Charleea Armstrong came to play and the rest of us did not,” Chokers head coach Chad Allan said. “Highline outworked us all game. All credit goes to them.”

Highline (9-10, 5-3) got key contributions from its bench, including a solid game from Kami Jackson, who put up 17 points in 11 minutes.

The loss ties the Chokers with the Thunderbirds in the standings and puts both teams two games back of Centralia for the second seed in the NWAC West.

Grays Harbor has six games left in the schedule and will try to make a climb in the standings when it faces Lower Columbia in Longview at 5 p.m. on Saturday.

Grays Harbor 16 10 11 10 – 47

Highline 14 16 15 15 – 60

Top Players: Highline – Jackson (17 pts.), Jazmina Lafitaga (14 pts., 5 ast., 14 reb.); Grays Harbor – Armstrong (18 pts, 7 reb., 3 blk), Kidder (10 pts., 8 reb.)