2A Boys: Cats Take a Step Towards Districts

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Just the process of getting into the district tournament is a tedious one for W.F. West — though Tuesday night’s win provided a nice big highlight, particularly for sophomore forward Brandon White.

White knocked down a pair of foul shots with 5 seconds left, giving the Bearcats their final lead in a 42-41 win over Aberdeen in Chehalis.

The win marks the halfway point in W.F. West’s two-game journey to the District 4 2A Boys Basketball Tournament, the second half of which comes in another play-in game Thursday, also in Chehalis, against Washougal.

And for White, the final free throws were a nice confidence boost.

“I’m glad I sank those and got a little redemption,” said White, who missed a freebie in the final seconds of what turned out to be a one-point loss to rival Centralia last Thursday. “After Centralia, it definitely hurt, and I put some more time into shooting free throws, so I was a lot more confident.”

White finished with a game-high 16 points, and W.F. West was able to come out on top in the same situation that ended its winless campaign a year ago.

“It’s way overdue,” W.F. West’s first-year coach Chris White said. “We feel like we’ve been waiting for a night like this, where things go our way, and it was really cool to have Brandon get redemption with those free throws at the end.”

Senior Adam Schwarz added 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Bearcats, including a leaning 30-foot 3-pointer at the third-quarter buzzer that quelled an 8-0 Aberdeen run.

With two seasons on the line, the game naturally got heated in the end. The Bobcats opened the fourth quarter on a 10-0 run to stretch their first lead of the game at 37-34, only to have a putback from White and a layup by Adam Schwarz put the Bearcats in front.

Aberdeen’s Victor Gomez scored twice on barreling drives to the hoop, though Schwarz finished inside with 1:10 left to play to cut the lead to 41-40.



The Bobcats then lost the ball on a drive to the hoop, only to have the Bearcats throw it away on the other end, after which a foul put Gomez on the line for a 1-and-1. The junior missed the first shot, with Schwarz grabbing the rebound and giving the Bearcats plenty of time to burn while looking for a last shot.

The ball wound up in White’s hand on the right wing, where he drove to his right and drew a two-shot intentional foul from Aberdeen’s Mark James — and inspiring plenty of consternation from the Grays Harbor fans.

“I certainly felt like he got tackled,” Chris White said. “You don’t know if you’re going to get that call, but I liked how Brandon was attacking.”

The foul count, at that point, was 7-3 in Aberdeen’s favor, meaning W.F. West had possession with five seconds left and Aberdeen had to foul on three straight inbounds plays to put a Bearcat on the stripe. By that point there was only 1.8 seconds left on the clock, and after a missed free throw — and an Aberdeen timeout — the Bobcats were only able to get off a running 3-pointer that was well off the mark.

“I’m just excited to keep playing,” Brandon White said. “All I was thinking was that I just wanted to extend the season even longer, so it was good.”

The Bearcats shot 16 of 45 (35 percent) from the field, but attempted just 13 from long range — hitting 5 — which was a far cry from the 30 they fired up in Thursday’s loss to Centralia. The win also snapped a 10-game losing streak for the Bearcats, who host Washougal at 7 p.m. Thursday night.

“The coaches and I have felt all along that we’re a very capable team, and it’s been a challenge to build the kids’ self-confidence,” Chris White said. “This is a step in the right direction, and hopefully we can keep this ride going.”

Nole Wollan added 7 points for W.F. West, including back-to-back 3s in the second quarter. Dakota Hawkins scored 4 with six rebounds, and Gomez led Aberdeen with 14 points.

Notes: Aberdeen went 12-2 in Evergreen 2A/1A League play (15-5 overall), splitting the league title with rival Hoquiam, to meet the qualifying criteria for Tuesday’s pigtail game against W.F. West. … Washougal beat Ridgefield, 57-45, on Tuesday night in its regular-season finale, and to finish fifth in the final GSHL standings.