Onalaska had about as much trouble trucking through Kalama as they did running under the man-formed player tunnel during introductions.
The Loggers never scored less than 14 points in a quarter, and didn’t allow more than three Chinook field goals in a frame until the fourth quarter, winning the District IV Tournament opener 60-34 in Chehalis Wednesday night.
But it still took a while for each team to beat the postseason jitters, as Onalaska scored its first basket at the 6-minute, 6-second mark, and Kalama made its first point at 4:25.
It wasn’t a start that Logger coach Dennis Bower appreciated from his 22-0 squad, but he’ll take it.
“I thought we came out real sluggish,” he said. “I thought that we didn’t come out with a lot of energy. I attribute that to nerves a little bit.
“At this point, a win’s a win,” Bower added. “You just win and move on.”
Dalton Ritchey paced Onalaska with 21 points, and had 13 of those at halftime. Brady Stanley had 10 points. Ritchey and Stanley dished out five and six assists, respectively, which came fairly easily considering the team shot 48 percent from the floor with 42 points coming in the paint.
Kalama had just 15 points at halftime, and was held to a game-low 6 points in the third quarter — going without a field goal for nearly 6 minutes — en route to an 11 for 43 (25 percent) night from the field.
“We basically wanted to come out of halftime and make a statement,” Ritchey said. “We knew we had to keep them out in front because they’re a dribble-drive basketball team.
“Holding them to 6 points in a quarter is really impressive for our defense, and I was really proud of our guys.”
Onalaska now plays SWW 1A League Evergreen Division opponent Montesano — which beat Castle Rock 41-38 in overtime Wednesday — in the quarterfinals Friday.
