2B Boys: Cold Shooting Dooms Pe Ell in Season-Ending Loss

ROCHESTER — The Trojans just left a few too many points on the court. Jump shots, free throws, 3-point attempts and, most frustratingly, layups — a few too many missed the mark here Wednesday.

And those misses gave a long-bombing Rainier squad just enough room for a 44-43 win loser-out District 4 2B Boys Basketball Tournament action.

Pe Ell went 20 of 63 from the field for a 32 percent clip, while Rainier was just a few points better at 34 percent — but the Mountaineers had 10 triples factored into the mix.

“I felt like we left a lot of buckets on the floor,” Pe Ell coach Justin Phelps said. “Really, I felt like we had a lot of lay-ins and opportunities, and it felt like we just didn’t capitalize when it came to that.”

Plenty of those opportunities came from the Trojans’ work on the glass, where they outrebounded Rainier 40-24. Tyler Shepherd, a senior in his final game, led the way with 11 boards.

Rainier’s shooting, though, was the difference. The Mountaineers went 10 of 23 from long range, with McKoy Bichler knocking down six and scoring 20 points to lead the way.

Bichler had 15 in the first half, after which Pe Ell held a 25-24 lead. He closed out the third frame with his final 3, putting the Mountaineers up 34-31.

Todd Eygabroad knocked in a 3 with three minutes left to play to give Rainier the biggest lead of the game at 42-36, though Cody Smith responded with Pe Ell’s only 3 of the game — in nine attempts — to close the gap.

Kaelin Jurek scored on the next possession to make it a 1-point game, and Shepherd bulled his way to an and-1 bucket with two minutes left to put Pe Ell back in front, 43-42.

Rainier’s Devan Stancil, however, found a path to the hoop and scored with a minute left. The teams swapped fruitless possessions and Pe Ell got a decent look at a midrange jumper with a few seconds left, though it missed the mark and landed in Mountaineer hands.

After a quick foul, Rainier missed the front end of a 1-and-1 free throw situation with 1.8 seconds left, and the Trojans were unable to grab the rebound and get a desperation shot off.

Dustin Lusk led Pe Ell with 9 points, and Austin McCalden added 7. Red Arrington and Jurek each scored 6.

It was the final game for Trojan seniors Shepherd, Lusk, Arrington, Cody Smith, Colin Hanson, and Dalton Toepelt.

“I’m really proud of those guys this year. No matter what, through thick and thin, they always worked their hardest,” Phelps said. “It’s tough to see an athletic group like that go, especially for how much talent that you know you have.

“To fall short like that, it’s pretty rough,” he added.

The Trojans finish the season with a 7-15 record, after qualifying for the District 4 tournament as the No. 7 seed out of the Central 2B League.

Rainier will play another loser-out game on Monday, against the loser of Saturday’s Napavine vs. Life Christian quarterfinal matchup.

Loggers Sink Fisherman in Low-Scoring Affair

By The Chronicle

MONTESANO — Points were rare — very rare, indeed — as Onalaska found a way to take the lead in the final seven seconds and come away with a 25-24 District 4 Boys Basketball Tournament victory over Ilwaco in loser-out consolation action here Wednesday night.

“Naismith probably turned over in his grave, but then again, probably not this is probably the way it’s supposed to be played,” Onalaska coach Dennis Bower said, joking about peach baskets and

Jacob Modica led the Loggers with 8 points, while Ilwaco’s Tapio was the game’s leading scorer with 10 points. The Fisherman had the lead at halftime — a blistering 13-12 advantage — and went on an 8-4 run in the third quarter. Onalaska trailed by 5 points with two minutes to go in the game and — in a season that has seen the Loggers truffle with the scoreboard — found a way to come up with clutch baskets.

“In my mind I was thinking I don’t know how we can even score points but to the kids credit, they found a way to win,” Bower said.

Jack Beck laid the ball up in the Ilwaco zone on a pass from Modica, then hit a 3-pointer with 55 seconds to play. Matt Swett then hit a free throw to tie things up with 20 seconds left, before Modica was able to notch the go-ahead charity shot after being fouled in the high post.

An Ilwaco long shot couldn’t find it’s target and Onalaska’s season survived for another night.

“It doesn’t really matter now, as long as you score one more than the other guy,” Bower said. “It’s survive and advance.”

Onalaska (6-16) will play the Ocosta/Mossyrock loser in Rochester on Monday at 2:30 p.m.