2B/1B Boys Basketball: Napavine Starts Hot, Downs Mules

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Laythan Demarest scored 23 points and Keith Olson added 13 and 17 boards as the Napavine Tigers got up early and never relented in a 62-49 season-opening win over recent state participant Wahkiakum in Napavine on Tuesday.

Wahkiakum’s springy forward Jake Leitz had 27 points and 14 rebounds, but Napavine coach Rex Stanley wasn’t upset with the defensive performance. 

“He hit some tough shots,” Stanley said. “He’s a tough cover.”

Demarest got things going early for the Tigers, hitting four first-quarter 3-pointers as Napavine raced to a 17-9 lead after the initial period. Wahkiakum never got closer than seven subsequently.

“That got us off to a quick start,” Stanley said of Demarest’s first quarter.

James Grose added 11 points for Napavine in the win.

Napavine (1-0) visits 1A Elma on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Toledo Tops Rainier in OT

Toledo exploded for 21 fourth-quarter points to complete a 58-52 comeback win in overtime over visiting Rainier on Tuesday.

The Mountaineers started off hot, led by Ian Sprouffske, who scored 11 of Rainier’s 14 points in the first quarter.

The Indians, meanwhile, scored just eight points in the second quarter to trail by nine at half.

“I told them in the locker room, ‘That’s a bad half. We’re rusty. Whatever it is, we can’t play like that again,’” Toledo coach Grady Fallon said. 

It took the Indians another full quarter to get into gear, but they were able to reel off 21 fourth-quarter points to take their first lead of the game late in the quarter.

Sophomore Carson Gould came off the bench to hit the game-tying 3-pointer and finished with seven points on the night.

In overtime, Toledo held Rainier to just one bucket and three points for the win.

“I’m definitely happy,” Fallon said. “It’s good for these guys. Hopefully it’s a shot in the arm.”

Sophomore point guard Jake Cournyer led the Indians with 15 points, while Carlo Arceo-Hansen and Fredy Fernandez each scored 11. Ryan Bloomstrom chipped in seven.

Rainier was led by Sprouffske’s game-high 24 points and sophomore Jake Jeske added 12.

Rainier hosts Adna on Thursday. Toledo travels to Wahkiakum on Thursday.

MWP Outpaces Winlock

Tyler Blake scored 20 points and Gary Dotson added 16 as the deep Morton-White Pass Timberwolves pulled away from the inexperienced Winlock Cardinals 67-40 in both teams’ Central 2B League boys basketball debut on Tuesday in Winlock.

Having to replace a ton of scoring and everything else, the Cardinals managed to stay close initially, battling on the glass and clinging tight to MWP, who led 24-23 at the break.

But the Timberwolves bench goes 12 deep, and its defense ratcheted up the pressure, and Winlock’s young backcourt couldn’t cope.

“We ran out of gas a little bit, and they increased their pressure and we didn’t like it,” Winlock coach Nick Bamer said. “It’s easy to be frustrated by it, but it was a good learning experience.”

In two wins over MWP last season, Winlock got outrebounded by big margins in both. In Tuesday’s contest, in which the score went the other way, the rebounding battle was a closer one, with MWP grabbing 34 to Winlock’s 29. 

“That we were right there with ‘em shows how hard we were working," Bamer said.



Nolan Swofford led the Cardinals with a game-high 22 points and Payton Sickles had 5 points with a team-high seven boards.

Morton-White Pass (1-0) hosts Kalama on Thursday, and Winlock visits Onalaska. Both games begin at 7 p.m.

Pirates Vault Past Loggers

Four Pirates scored in double digits as Adna used a high-powered offense to breeze past Onalaska, 72-45, at home on Tuesday.

Freshman Braeden Salme scored a team-high 20 points while hauling in four rebounds for the Pirates, while Chase Collins added 14 and Zach Berg and Eli Smith each tallied 13. 

“That’s the takeaway,” Adna coach Luke Salme said. “If you have four guys who score double digits, you’ll be tough to beat.”

Berg pulled down a team high eight boards, while Aaron Aselton and Lane Johnson each had six.

“I was happier with our defensive intensity for four quarters,” Salme said. “That’s our biggest challenge, hanging our hats on complete defense.”

Onalaska was led by senior point guard Danny Dalsted’s game-high 23 points. Mason Ulery and Lane Zandell each scored five.

“We’ve got to do a better job with defensive transition,” Onalaska first-year coach Todd Dalsted said. “We got outplayed tonight. We’ve got to find more guys to score.”

Onalaska hosts Winlock on Thursday. Adna heads to Rainier on Thursday.

1B

Pe Ell Opens With Win

Aaiden Lee scored 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds as the Pe Ell Trojans pulled away late from the Three Rivers Christian Eagles for a 37-32 win in a 1B boys basketball game in Pe Ell on Tuesday.

Jackson Lusk added 9 points and 5 rebounds for Pe Ell in the win, and Michael Sanford added 7 points and “really played well down the stretch,” according to Pe Ell coach Clayburn Lusk.

Clayburn Lusk also extolled the efforts of Carter Phelts and Wyatt Mars, who scored one and six points, respectively, but mentioned their effort and defensive prowess.

Pe Ell led 15-12 at halftime, but TRC managed to pull even after three quarters behind the big body of Eagles freshman Dawson Morrow, who finished with a game-high 14 points.

“We had a little trouble early,” Clayburn Lusk said. “We had good looks. Hopefully we start to make those.” 

Pe Ell (1-0) visits Naselle on Wednesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Vikings Roll Firm Foundation

Gunner Mulligan scored a game-high 28 points and pulled down eight boards as Mossyrock had no trouble with Firm Foundation in a 65-42 win Tuesday.

Keegan Kolb added 19 points for the Vikings, while Ryan Bellino and Tryn Thompson each had eight boards.

“I thought we moved the ball really well, played with intensity on defense and played well as a team,” Mossyrock coach Adam Deck said. “We didn’t shoot the ball that well, but I thought we took good shots.”

Mossyrock hosts Three Rivers Christian on Thursday.