PE ELL — Three Trojans nearly had double-doubles against Wahkiakum as Pe Ell took a 69-52 Central 2B League boys basketball victory here Friday night.
Dylan Toepelt scored 14 with 15 rebounds, Tyler Ratkie had 15 with 10 rebounds, and Hank Robinson had a game-high 19 points to go along with nine boards.
“We came out with great intensity and got really after it,” Trojan coach Clayburn Lusk said. “I was proud of my kids. They played hard for four quarters.
“We wanted to make sure we limited our turnovers and got good ball movement against their zone, which can create problems,” the coach added.
Lusk was especially impressed with Ratkie, who at 5-foot-8 hauled in double-digits rebounds.
Cody Olsen was the only Mule in double figures with 16. The guard led a third quarter resurgence in which Wahkiakum outscored Pe Ell 25-13.
“We kind of let them back in a bit in the third quarter,” Lusk said. “And then we responded with our open looks and making stuff happen.”
The Trojans shot 29 of 73 from the field, while holding Wahkiakum to 20 field goals on 52 attempts.
Pe Ell (13-2, 6-2 league) hosts Raymond Monday.
“It was a great gym atmosphere,” Lusk said of the game. “It was loud.”
Panthers Allow Ducks to Fly
TOUTLE — They had ‘em.
Up 3 points with under 5 seconds remaining, White Pass allowed Toutle Lake to hit a 3-pointer to send the game to overtime.
And with just a 2-point output in the extra frame, the Panthers watched the Ducks fly through their fingers in a 52-48 Central 2B League loss.
“It was a very disappointing loss for us,” Panther coach Tony Gillispie said. “It was just a game we let slip through our fingers.
“It was definitely something we need to learn from,” he added. “It was back and forth, nobody scored for a while. They took a 2 point lead, and we tied it up. Then they scored the final 4.”
Trevor Blackburn was the only Panther in double-figure scoring with 16. Kyle Kelly and Matt Green had team-highs in rebounds with eight, and Green had 9 points.
Blackburn hit two key free throws near the end of regulation to help the Panthers build a 3-point cushion.
Gillispie explained that it was one of the Panthers’ better games this season.
“I thought we came out with our hearts in it tonight,” he said. “We played hard all night, and defensively we were sound. We just had too many turnovers and too many missed scoring opportunities that are constantly haunting us.
“They cost you in the end,” he added.
White Pass (4-11, 2-6 league) hosts Pe Ell Wednesday.
