ROCHESTER — Adna and Toutle Lake met in the District IV 2B Girls Basketball Tournament winners bracket, and the Central 2B League foes had a battle going.
That was, until the first quarter ended.
Christian Carlson scored 11 of her team-high 13 points in the Ducks’ 20-point first quarter, before her team went on to outscore the Pirates 27-12 over the second and third frames en route to overwhelming Adna 57-38 here Thursday night.
“In some aspects, we lost our offensive composure,” Pirate coach Jeff Beasley said. “Give Toutle Lake credit with their defense.
“We were happy to be in the winners bracket,” he added. “We prepared for them, and we had some things ready for them, but they were a team on a mission tonight.”
After a 15-point Adna first quarter — which included a Taylor Hoke 3-pointer at the buzzer — the Pirates’ offense went stagnant, as they missed seven straight shot attempts and the front end of two 1-and-1s before Dani Grosshans scored at the 4-minute, 39-second mark.
The Pirates ran into more trouble in the third quarter, as Bethany Elliott’s 6 points were all they could muster. With 38 seconds left in that quarter, Duck guard Kelsey Kent hit a 3-point bucket to extend her team’s lead to 20 points.
“Toutle just got the loose balls, the second rebounds and they shot real well,” Beasley said. “My hat’s off to them.”
The Ducks advance to play Northwest Christian (Lacey) on Wednesday in Chehalis.
Elliott was one of two Pirates to score more than 4 points in the contest, scoring 7 in each half. Hoke finished with 8.
Adna now plays Pe Ell — which swept the Pirates during the regular season — Saturday in Chehalis.
“In the playoffs, you try to exist as far as you can,” Beasley said. “No we’re in the losers bracket with Pe Ell.
“They’ve had our number this year, so we’re going to try to get after it Saturday.”
Tigers Slow Down Comets
ROCHESTER — Napavine entered its District IV 2B Girls Tournament game with a mission to hold Naselle under double-digit scoring in each quarter.
Mission accomplished.
The Tigers jumped out to a 20-7 lead in the first frame, and kept the Comets cold — never allowing more than 8 points in a quarter — in a 64-30 victory here Thursday night.
“That was our goal: to try and keep them in single digits,” Napavine coach Shane Schutz said. “I liked our approach. I thought we came in business-like.”
“Our goal was to have good talk and have really good defense,” said guard Elaun Sherwood, who was one of three Tigers in double-digit scoring with 10 points. “That just set our offense up.”
Ali Brossard and Amy Goettleman led the Tigers offensively, notching 13 and 12 points, respectively. Two freshman had their names heard, too, as Teryn Pannette scored 9 and Demi Sahlinger added 8.
“I think we played really well as a team together,” Sherwood said. “We just came out and played hard. We talked about team chemistry, and we really got better at it.”
Carley Kitzman scored 10 for Naselle, and Haleigh See chipped in 8.
Next mission for Napavine: Central 2B League opponent Wahkiakum — who topped Raymond 53-51 Thursday night — Wednesday in the semifinals. The game will be held at 8 p.m. in Chehalis.
“I’m really proud of our kids,” Schutz said. “They came out really focused and I liked that.
“We gotta do it again,” he added, “because our next opponent’s going to be tougher. You just have to continue with that focus.”
Naselle now plays North Beach in the losers bracket on Saturday.
Notes: Napavine went on a 9-2 run to open the first quarter, and a 10-2 run at the beginning of the second.
Navigators’ Fourth Quarter Rally Sinks Viks
MONTESANO — A lack of offensive execution cost Mossyrock a spot in Saturday’s semifinals as it fell to Northwest Christian (Lacey) 54-46 in District IV 2B Girls Basketball Tournament play here Thursday night.
The Vikings jumped out to a 14-11 advantage after the first quarter and maintained a 2-point lead through halftime.
The Navigators, however, caught up and took a 38-37 lead into the fourth quarter, when Alysha Fox took over. The senior point guard scored 9 of her game high 15 points in the final frame and went 4 of 4 from the charity stripe in the final minute of the contest to ice the game.
“Fox really makes them go,” said Mossyrock coach Gale Bridges. “She was penetrating and dishing the ball off and they made sure to have the ball in her hands at the end.”
The Vikings struggled on the offensive end of the court in the fourth quarter as they were held to just 9 points in the final frame, while Fox and the Navigators notched 16 in the fourth to close out the game.
“We tried to penetrate and we were triple teamed and turned the ball over,” said Bridges. “It was desperation time when it didn’t have to be.”
Jordan Nelson led the Vikings with 14 points while Claire Swayze chipped in with 12.
The Vikings controlled the battle of the boards edging Northwest Christian 30-18, with Staci Jacobson grabbing a team-high 13 rebounds along with scoring 8 points.
The loss moves Mossyrock over to the losers bracket where they will take on White Pass on Saturday at a time and site yet to be determined.
