Wednesday's Boys Basketball: Thomas, Pirates Crush Mules on the Road

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CATHLAMET — Adna got off to a rough start, but used a big second quarter to take the momentum and roll in a 65-49 C2BL boys hoops win over Wahkiakum here Wednesday.

Braden Thomas scored 25 points with nine rebounds to lead Adna, but the big difference was on the defensive end, coach Luke Salme said.

The first time the teams met Wahkiakum buried a dozen 3-pointers in a 67-58 win; on Wednesday night the Mules hit only two.

The Pirates trailed 9-2 to start things off, however.

“The first three minutes were atrocious,” Salme said. “We spotted them a lead and then just kind of chipped away.”

Zander Blankenship-Todd scored 15 for Adna, including a pair of 3-pointers late in the first frame to overcome the deficit. After winning the second frame 24-12 — and going into halftime off a buzzer-beating 3 from Tyler Minkoff — the Pirates kept a double-digit lead intact the rest of the way.

“Minkoff was really good,” Salme said, noting the senior guard scored 10 of his season-high 12 points in the second quarter. “He was big.”

Jake Leitz led Wahkiakum with 27 points. Chase Collins added nine for Adna.

Adna (8-7, 3-2 league) hosts Toledo on Friday.

Cardinals Power Through Rainier to Stay Perfect in League

RAINIER — Winlock tossed a shutout in the first quarter and had a 22-point lead at halftime, but had to power through a rough second half for a 48-35 C2BL win over Rainier here Wednesday.

The Cardinals led 11-0 after a quarter.

“We played well. We mixed it up and tried to keep them off balance and extend,” Winlock coach Nick Bamer said. “Our rotations weren’t exactly great, but the open looks that Rainier did get, luckily for us, were rimming off. Everything looked good, but it was just long or short.”

The first-half lead, though, was in jeopardy after the break as the Cardinals managed just five third-quarter points.

“Rainier played hard in the third quarter, and I think we just came out without intensity,” Bamer said. “We had to hang on and survive on the road in the fourth quarter, and it was not an easy trip.”

Bryce Cline led Winlock with 18 points, and Coleson Richendollar added 11.

Garrett Chiechlowski played well off the bench and Nathan Suhrbier rebounded well for the Cardinals, Bamer added.

Jake Jeske and Logan Bowers each scored 10 points for Rainier (9-7, 3-3 league).

Winlock (12-2, 5-0 league) hosts Kalama on Friday. The Cardinals will also host Hoquiam in a non-league game on Monday which has been rescheduled due to snow last week in Grays Harbor.

Whitehead Leads the Charge against Kalama

ONALASKA — Carter Whitehead posted a double-double and the Loggers won their third game out of their last four in a 63-51 Central 2B League victory over Kalama here Wednesday.

Whitehead dropped a game-high 20 points and 10 rebounds, while teammates Ashton Haight added 18 and Danny Dalsted chipped in 15 in the win.

The Loggers surrendered 26 points to the Chinooks in second quarter, then bolstered their defense in the second half, allowing just 15 the rest of the night.

“Our defense was terrible second quarter,” Onalaska coach Wayne Nelson said. “Second half we only gave up 11 points before we both emptied our benches.”

Onalaska was without its two froncourt starters, 6-foot-2 junior Kayden Allison and 6-foot-2 senior Alex Frazier, who were out with sickness.



It didn’t matter.

The Loggers outrebounded the Chinooks 32 to 22, with Haight stepping up and grabbing eight boards to compliment Whitehead’s 10. Nelson credited his bench for coming up big with crucial minutes as the offense ran flex to counter Kalama’s man-to-man defense.

Onalaska improves to 11-3, 4-2 and travels to Morton-White Pass (8-8, 4-2) for a 7 p.m. matchup Friday.

Hickle Notches a Double-Doble as Beavers Bounce Chimacum

TENINO — A dominant defensive effort led the way for the Beavers here on Wednesday as they defeated Chimacum 56-13 in a non-league boys basketball happening.

Tenino allowed no more than six points in any quarter and came away with 21 steals as a team. Chimacum made just six of 43 shots from the field (13 percent) and connected on just 1 of 15 free throws (6 percent).

Coach Joe Chirhart credited Zach Russell with setting the tone for the Beavers.

“The kid ended up with eight steals but he probably had 20 deflections that led to steals for other guys,” said Chirhart of Russell, who also chipped in 10 points on offense. “The kid played his but off defensively for us and when he does that it kind of gives the rest of us some energy.”

Logan Brewer scored a game-high 20 points for Tenino while Takari Hickle posted a 15-point, 17-rebound double-double.

“It was a good game for us to gear up for Forks tomorrow,” said Chirhart.

Tenino (5-9, 0-3 league) will host the Spartans on Thursday for a league contest.

Timberwolves Pull off Upset Over Toutle Lake

RANDLE — Four Morton-White Pass players recorded double-digit scoring and the T-Wolves won their fourth game out of their last six in a 67-64 upset over Toutle Lake here Wednesday in 2B Central League action.

The Timberwolves (8-8, 4-2) handed the Ducks (12-3, 4-1) their first league loss of the season, putting Winlock in sole possession of the league lead.

Morton-White Pass trailed by three at the half after fouling a Ducks’ player on a 3-point attempt, who drained all three shots from the charity stripe. The Timberwolves responded by blasting out on a 21-9 run to start the second half, then held on as the Ducks unleashed a 22-point barrage in the fourth quarter.

The Timberwolves rebounding was the difference-maker, as they won the rebounding margin 43-30, with Gary Dotson leading the way with a game-high 10 boards.

“We work on rebounding for 15-20 minutes every day in practice,” MWP coach Chad Cramer said. “We can control rebounds.”

The Timberwolves were led offensively by Hayden Young’s 17, Josh Salguero’s 13, Dotson’s 10 and Kysen Collette’s 10.

Morton-White Pass next hosts Onalaska (11-3, 4-2) at 7 p.m. on Friday.

Tigers Blow Out Vikings on the Road

RANDLE — Junior Cade Evander unleashed a game-high 23 points and the Tigers broke a three-game losing skid as Napavine thrashed Mossyrock 66-36 on the road in a 2B Central League matchup Wednesday.

The Tigers forced 23 Mossyrock turnovers and held off a 42-rebound effort from the Vikings to 9-4, 1-3 on the season. Sophomore post Keith Olson added 10 points in the victory for Napavine.

The Tigers played most of their bench in the second half with the game well in hand, while Mossyrock played with just seven kids the entire game.

“We’ve got to keep playing hard, learning and playing together,” Mossyrock coach Adam Deck said.

The Vikings fell to 2-12, 0-5 on the season and host Class 1A Elma at 7 p.m. Friday. Napavine improved to 9-4, 1-3 and hosts Toutle Lake at 7 p.m. Friday.