2B Girls Basketball: Vikings Ransack Rainier to Reach District Title Game

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By The Chronicle

KELSO — Mossyrock stayed on a roll here Tuesday as it dispatched Rainier 55-41 and notched another upset in their run through the District IV 2B girls basketball tournament.

“When you’re the underdog you don’t have as much to lose, so the girls come out excited and they’re looking for some revenge,” Mossyrock coach, Autumn Moorcroft said.

Moorcroft noted that both Toledo, who her Vikings knocked off earlier in the tournament, and Rainier handed her team losses during the regular season.

“Both of those games we kind of used those as motivation,” added Moorcroft.

Payton Torrey led the Vikings with 17 points and Andee Nelson added 16 points.

Mossyrock took a 31-16 lead into the intermission and never ground to the Mountaineers down the stretch. Hailey Brooks notched a double-double for the Vikings with 11 points and 14 rebounds.

“She’s a great defender, a great rebounder, and by rebounding she gets those points down low. She’s a big part of our team right now,” Moorcroft said of Brooks.

Rainier Kaeley Schultz notched game-highs in points (20) and rebounds (18).

“Schultz is gonna get hers. She’s the MVP from last year so how do you limit that and not let the other girls knock down as many points,” explained Moorcroft when asked how she’d drawn up the defensive scheme for the Mountaineers.

Sophie Beadle added eight points for Rainier while Selena Niemi chipped in six.

The win puts Mossyrock into the district championship game against Wahkiakum. In the second week of the season Mossyrock defeated the Mules 33-30 in a sloppy contest. Then in late January, Wahkiakum downed the Vikings 62-57.

“I think my girls are pretty excited to get another go at them,” Moorcroft said.

Moorcroft added that she believes this will mark the first trip back to the district title game for Mossyrock since 2007 when the Vikings went on to win the state championship.

The Vikings will tip off for the district title against Wahkiakum on Saturday in Chehalis at 6 p.m.

Adna Fends Off Chief Leschi to Stay Alive

CASTLE ROCK — The Pirates were able to extend their season here on Tuesday with a 53-43 win over Chief Leschi in the loser-out portion of the District IV 2B girls basketball tournament.



Adna led by three points after one quarter and parlayed a 19-8 advantage in the second period to play with a lead the rest of the way.

“We actually got their best player, Alicia Pluff, into foul trouble and then we put on our press,” Adna coach Chris Bannish said. “We actually missed a bunch of bunnies and could have had a bigger lead at half but we couldn’t quite turn the corner.”

Ellie Sliva scored a game-high 18 points for the Pirates with four 3-pointers to her credit. Payton Aselton added 16 points, including 10 free throws down the stretch, and nine rebounds.

“Every run they made we matched,” Bannish said. “They made a run late. They got it within six but Sliva and (Makaela) Meister hit big 3s down the stretch for us.”

Adna also outrebounded the Warriors 35-26.

The win sets Adna up against Rainier in the next round and moments after Tuesday’s win Bannish was already formulating a game plan for the Mountaineers.

“The key is holding Boesch down. I don’t know if it’s so much Schultz, because she’s going to do her thing,” said Bannish. “We’ve done a good job on her in the past and we’ve got to do it one more time.”

The Pirates will face Rainer on Thursday at 6 p.m. in Rochester.

Toledo Flogs Flock of Seagulls to Keep Dancing

CASTLE ROCK — Toledo used a set of defensive bookend quarters here on Tuesday to keep Raymond in check on the way to a 49-39 victory in the District IV 2B girls basketball tournament.

The Seagulls managed just seven points in the first quarter and eight points in the final frame. Meanwhile, the team from south Lewis County notched 11 points and 20 points, respectively, in those periods. Toledo also managed to snag 11 more rebounds than Raymond in order to limit their offensive opportunities.

“We knew it was going to be tough. It was a fun district atmosphere. It was loud. It was tight. We just had girls step up in the fourth quarter and we were able to pull away,” Toledo coach Brian Layton said. “Haleigh Holmes played great defense and Greenlee Clark made some big shots down the stretch.”

Holmes added three assists to her stat line while Clark dished four dimes on the day.

Kal Schaplow scored a team-high 20 points in the win, while Stacie Spahr turned in another double-double with 14 points and a game-high 16 rebounds.

The win sets Toledo, the No. 1 seed from the Central League, up against Ilwaco, the No. 1 seed from the Pacific League.

“They’re good. It’s going to be another battle,” Layton said.

Toledo will face Ilwaco on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in Rochester.