MONTESANO — Seeds in tournaments are an indication of what should happen, which is what underdog teams live for.
The No. 6 seed Pirates pulled the upset on Saturday afternoon, knocking off the Indians 49-40 in the District 4 2B Boys Basketball Tournament quarterfinals at Montesano to secure a berth in regionals.
“It feels terrific,” Adna coach Luke Salme said. “We’re a six-seed out of what I would say is the toughest league in the state and I don’t think many people would argue with that. We’ve been playing really well as of late. ”
Adna will play in Tumwater on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. against No. 3-ranked Life Christian in the district semifinals.
Garrett Trotter led Adna with 15 points and Tanner Rigdon added 10 points. Toledo was led by Conner Vermilyea’s 12 points.
The big key to the game was defense, as Adna forced many Toledo turnovers and a handful of steals that led to easy layups.
“That’s a good offensive team, that’s without a doubt the key to the game,” Salme said. “We had lulls offensively, they really pinched the paint and forced us to shoot contested shots the whole time but we were consistently getting stops and forcing turnovers.”
Both teams were not sharp early, missing shots and turning the ball over. Toledo finally scored its first basket more than five minutes into the first.
“We’re pretty resilient and the defensive mindset and toughness that we start, especially digging in with our guards, I think we can compete with pretty much anyone if that is how we are going to defend,” Salme said.
Each team shot 25 percent from the field in the first quarter, with Adna holding an 8-5 lead after the first.
The second quarter was better for both teams, and Toledo was able to tie the game at 13 midway through the quarter. Adna ended the first half on a 6-0 run to take a 19-13 lead at halftime.
Toledo came out strong in the third quarter and chipped away at the lead. Vermilyea was on fire in the third, making three 3-pointers in the quarter to close the gap to 28-27 after three quarters.
But Adna dominated the fourth, going on an early 8-0 run to take a 38-29 lead. Adna hit nine free throws down the stretch to key the Pirates to victory.
“We’ve been shooting so many free throws in practice, even since the regular season ended, that’s what happens in district games,” Salme said. “We have not been a good free throw shooting team throughout the season. We’ve been really talking about our routine and positive mental imagery and taking deep breaths. You’ve got to hit those to win these games and fortunately we did.”
While the team has secured a regional berth, the District tournament is still the priority.
“I just told the guys I don’t think six seeds are supposed to be playing in district semifinal games in this district tournament, which is an absolute brawl,” Salme said. “I won’t say for a second I see a satisfied look in my guys eyes, I see excitement and I see celebration. We’ll get back to practice and have a blast on Tuesday night in a semifinal game.”
Kirkley Carries Vikings Over Wildcats
ROCHESTER — Fans here for the Vikings’ District 4 quarterfinal matchup with Ocosta were treated to a show — the Jaron Kirkley show, to be specific.
Kirkley scored 33 points for Mossyrock, as the Vikings earned a 62-46 win over Ocosta at Montesano in a District 4 2B Boys action.
“I thought it was going to be a battle,” Mossyrock coach Kelly Ross said. “I’ve been preaching that everyday in practice, it’s going to be a battle, especially with that team. It was a great team effort.”
Ross spoke about the teams’ battle in last year’s district tournament — which Ocosta won — and didn’t want to allow that to happen a second time.
“It kinda started the same way where we had a pretty decent lead at halftime. When we had that lead coming into the half, it was a point to make that you can’t let up,” he said. “If they started hitting them and getting confident, they just start dropping for them, and we couldn’t allow that to happen.”
The win earns the Vikings a regional playoff berth, and a semifinal date with rival Morton-White Pass on Tuesday at 8 p.m. in Tumwater.
Kirkley led all scorers with 33 and also grabbed 10 rebounds. Teammate Danny Nelson provided 15 points. Ocosta’s Zach Allton had a team-high 11 points.
“Offensively, Kirkley was an animal tonight,” Ross said. “He proved that he is an all-state player and a consistent all-state player, and that was huge for us tonight.”
Ocosta scored the first basket of the game and held the lead for most of the first quarter. But an 11-0 run by Mossyrock put the Vikings ahead 21-13 after one quarter.
Mossyrock padded its lead in the second quarter, with Kirkley and Nelson scoring all 13 Viking points in the second for a 34-23 lead at the half.
The Wildcats tried to get back into the game and was able to slice the lead to 45-35 after three quarters, but it was all Mossyrock in the fourth. The Vikings went on a late 10-0 run to seal the win.
Even with the regional berth, there is still work to be done in the district tournament.
“Tomorrow, it starts over, and it has to start over,” Ross said. “We can’t be too excited about this, you take this, you’re happy about it tonight. Tomorrow, you are ready to go back to work. At the beginning of the season on the first day, and I gave them a piece of paper and I said, write down your goals for this year. Everyone that is on this varsity team said district title.”
