Jake Leitz scored 21 points and Wahkiakum powered past Toledo, 68-47, in 2B boys basketball action Thursday night in Cathlamet.
Carlo Arceo-Hansen led Toledo with 21 points and seven rebounds, while Jake Cournyer added 12 — all from long distance.
After scoring just five points in the first quarter, Toledo battled back and trailed just 36-35 at one point in the third frame — only to see the Mules end the game on a 32-12 run.
“They just took off,” Toledo coach Grady Fallon said, noting that the smaller crowds this season has been an adjustment. “It’s really hard to get momentum going now when you don’t have any fans. You make a great play and the gym’s silent.”
Brodie Avalon and Brody Carlson each added 12 for the Mules, while Logan LaBerge chipped in 10. Wahkiakum hit nine 3-pointers in the win.
“They’re solid,” Fallon added. “I just hoped we’d give them a better showing. We cut it there, and then let it slip at the end.”
The Mules, he added, were his preseason favorite in the Central 2B League.
“Leitz, he’s got a great basketball body. He can dribble, shoot, and rebounds,” Fallon said. “But they had three other guys in double figures.”
Toledo (1-1) hosts Mossyrock on Monday in a non-league game.
Jackson Esary and the Chinooks caught fire in the fourth quarter and rallied to beat Morton-White Pass, 64-58, on Thursday in 2B boys hoops action in Randle.
The Timberwolves led by six heading into the final frame, but Esary — a 6-foot-3 junior — scored 10 of his game-high 25 points to lead the comeback.
“We went a little cold, and they got red hot in the fourth quarter,” MWP coach Chad Cramer said. “It just doomed us.”
The Timberwolves were also dealing with foul trouble, which limited starter Gary Dotson to 14 minutes — though in those limited minutes he scored 12 points.
“He played excellent when he played,” Cramer noted.
Tyler Blake led MWP with 17 points and added 13 rebounds and five steals, while Kysen Collette chipped in nine points.
“(Blake) played really, really well,” Cramer said. “But, we’ve got to have just a little bit better execution there to close the game out.”
MWP (1-1) hosts Eatonville on Saturday in Morton and plays at Kalama on Monday.
Mossyrock had four players score in double figures on Thursday night to beat Three Rivers Christian, 71-39, in 1B boys basketball action.
Gunner Mulligan led the Vikings with 22 points, six rebounds and nine steals, while Keegan Kolb scored 18 with four boards.
Aiden Weist added 11 points and Zach Munos chipped in 12 points and five rebounds.
The Vikings went 29 of 69 from the field (42%), something coach Adam Deck said could be improved upon.
“But our defensive pressure’s been really good and it’s been constant, and I love that about this group,” he said. “It forces a lot of turnovers and a lot of easy buckets. If we converted on more of those buckets, we’d be scoring a lot more.”
Ryan Bellino, who grabbed seven rebounds, also played well, Deck pointed out.
Mossyrock (2-0) hosts Naselle on Saturday.
Nolan Swofford pumped in a game-high 19 points and Winlock held off a furious comeback attempt by Onalaska to take a 42-41 road win on Thursday.
Onalaska trailed by 12 points entering the fourth quarter and had a couple shots down the stretch to tie or retake the lead but couldn’t get them to drop.
“We had a hard time scoring, especially in the first and third quarters,” Onalaska coach Todd Dalsted said. “We shot terrible all night.”
Onalaska senior point guard Danny Dalsted led the Loggers with 10 points. Winlock won the rebound battle, 41-33.
“We couldn’t get rebounds and gave them too many second chances,” Todd Dalsted said. “We need to find a way to play with urgency all four quarters.”
Onalaska falls to 0-2 and travels to Toledo on Thursday. Winlock improves to 1-1 and travels to Pe Ell on Saturday.
Four Pirates scored in double figures as Adna came away with a 59-49 victory over visiting Rainier on Thursday.
Freshman Eli Smith scored a team-high 13 points, freshman Braeden Salme added 11 and freshman Tristan Percival and senior Zach Berg each scored 10 to lead Adna.
Berg hauled down a team-high eight boards, while Salme had six and Lane Johnson, Tyler Mikoff and Chase Collins each pulled down five.
Rainier was led by Ian Sprouffske’s game-high 24 points, while Logan Bowers scored eight and Jake Jeske and Curtis Keller each had six.
Rainier falls to 1-2 overall and hosts Montesano on Saturday. Adna improves to 2-0 and hosts Morton-White Pass on Tuesday.
