MORTON — The Timberwolves came closer than they have in three seasons to losing a Central 2B League game, but held on in the end for a 52-51 win over Napavine.
“It was a good game for us to play, getting a week away from postseason play,” Morton-White Pass coach Tony Gillispie said. “Give Napavine all the credit in the world. They played an extremely good ballgame.”
Napavine led 40-37 after three quarters, led by 19 points and 12 rebounds from junior forward Wyatt Stanley. Peyton Stanley added 11 points.
The Timberwolves are two wins away from their third-straight undefeated C2BL season, and have lost just once in the last three seasons.
“We’re basically every team’s state championship or Super Bowl, so to speak,” Gillispie said. “It’s tough to play with people coming at you like that. You have to be extremely mentally tough.”
Napavine, he said, was up to the task, outrebounding MWP 34-23 and attempting 16 more field goals.
“I think Napavine beat us in every facet of the game but the final score,” he said. “I think it’s a good wakeup call for us to get back to work. We need to get better and improve.”
Kaleb Poquette led Morton-White Pass with 20 points, and Matt Poquette added 9 points and eight rebounds. Gage LaClef scored 12 for the winners.
Morton-White Pass (17-1, 16-0 league) plays at Toutle Lake on Wednesday. Napavine (13-5, 11-5 league) plays at Mossyrock on Wednesday.
Swanson, Ducks Shoot Down Adna
TOUTLE — Toutle Lake’s Cam Swanson got hot, and the Pirates just couldn’t keep up in a 76-54 loss here Saturday in Central 2B League boys basketball action.
Swanson scored 19 of his game-high 29 points in the third quarter, going 5 of 5 from long range in that frame alone.
The Ducks finished the first half on a 10-0 run, and — behind Swanson’s big quarter — outscored Adna 25-11 in the third.
“It was crazy,” Adna coach Luke Salme said of Swanson’s performance, which included 11 of 16 shooting for the game. “A couple were contested — not as many as we’d like — but it was just one of those nights where he was in the zone.”
Garrett Trotter led Adna with 13 points, while Conner Weed added 11. Sophomore Blake Davis added 9 points, all from behind the 3-point arc in the fourth quarter.
Adna (9-9, 8-8 league) plays at Winlock on Wednesday and hosts Toledo on Friday to conclude the regular season.
Toledo Slips Past Pe Ell
PE ELL — The Trojans had their chances against Toledo here Saturday night, but the second-place team in the Central 2B League’s boys basketball standings managed to escape with a 53-49 win.
Pe Ell, in the final minute of action, missed an open lay-up, the front end of a 1-and-1 free throw situation, and a 3-pointer — any of which, at the time, would have given the Trojans a lead.
Instead, Toledo’s Reece Wallace knocked down a few foul shots in the last seconds for the game’s final score.
“We had three decent opportunities — two really good opportunities — to tie the game or take the lead,” Pe Ell coach Justin Phelps said. “I’m actually really proud of the way the kids have been playing. It’s been a great week, aside from the Mossyrock game (a loss Friday), and we’re playing some of our best basketball right now.”
Red Arrington shot 8 of 14 from the field to finish with a game-high 21 points for Pe Ell, while Reece Wallace led Toledo with 17. Joe Wallace added 15 for the Indians, and Tyler Shepherd paced Pe Ell with 10.
Pe Ell (7-11, 5-11 league) hosts Onalaska on Wednesday. Toledo (14-4, 13-3 league) hosts Wahkiakum on Wednesday.
Mossyrock Cages Up Cardinals
WINLOCK — Mossyrock dictated the pace of the game with their defense en route to a 73-44 Central 2B League victory over Winlock here on Saturday. Danny Nelson continued his hot streak for the Vikings with 25 points while Jaron Kirkley scored 16, notched 16 rebounds and dished out seven assists.
“We had a lot of steals and a lot of hands on passes,” Mossyrock coach Kelly Ross said. “We tried to put them in a tough situation with our defense.”
That led to offense for Mossyrock, which led 47-19 at halftime. In the second half the Vikings began running sets against Winlock’s constantly-changing defenses.
“They were changing defenses like crazy,” Ross said. “If they went into zone, we’d run our zone play. And just like it’s seemed in our past four or five games, if we’re hitting our shots we’re tough to beat.”
Mossyrock (12-6, 10-6 league) hosts Napavine in a big league contest on Wednesday for third place in the C2BL standings. Napavine won 76-33 the last time the teams played, but the Vikings were without leading scorers Nelson and Kirkley.
The game is also senior night for Mossyrock.
“They haven’t seen us at full strength and I’m hoping we’re going to bring our A-game defensively,” Ross said. “It’s going to be a battle.”
Winlock (4-14, 2-14 league) hosts Adna on Wednesday.
Loggers Tripped up in Cathlamet
CATHLAMET — Long trips to Wahkiakum County are rarely enjoyable and the Loggers had one they’d like to forget in a 49-41 Central 2B League loss to the Mules here on Saturday. Despite battling the whole way and getting 16 points from Jack Beck, Onalaska was outscored 17-5 in the final quarter.
“We played well enough to win but in the fourth quarter everything that could go wrong went wrong in that quarter,” Onalaska coach Dennis Bower said. “I thought their kids really wanted the game.”
Onalaska led 36-32 after outscoring Wahkiakum 13-9 in the third quarter. Stone Whitney and Jacob Modica each added 9 points to the Loggers’ efforts.
Zach Brown led Wahkiakum with 21 points.
“We’re struggling right now but our kids are resilient,” Bower said. “We had skill development in the morning on Monday and they all showed up.”
Onalaska (4-14, 3-13 league) plays at Pe Ell on Wednesday.
