Prep girls basketball: Torrey sinks go-ahead 3-pointer to lead Adna past Napavine

By Zach Martin / zach@chronline.com
Posted 1/15/25

NAPAVINE — It was more than being unable to buy a bucket. The Adna High School girls basketball team was almost unable to buy a point in the opening eight minutes on Wednesday night.

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Prep girls basketball: Torrey sinks go-ahead 3-pointer to lead Adna past Napavine

Posted

NAPAVINE — It was more than being unable to buy a bucket. The Adna High School girls basketball team was almost unable to buy a point in the opening eight minutes on Wednesday night.

The Pirates waltzed back onto the court for the second quarter sitting with one point.

“A year ago, you would have seen a team (go) away,” Adna head coach Chris Bannish said. 

And somehow, someway, Adna found a path to victory.

Sophomore McKenna Torrey buried the only trifecta for the Pirates in the biggest moment of the game, giving them the lead with 1 minute, 22 seconds left in the fourth and pulling out a 32-29 triumph over Napavine in a C2BL showdown at Napavine High School.

“We played hard, I’m very proud,” Torrey said. “It felt good leaving my hand.”

Adna sat at 10 field goals prior to Torrey’s heroics. It also was under 50 percent from the free throw line. Meanwhile, the Tigers shot 9-for-45 from the field and only knocked down two shots from behind the arc.

For one of the oldest rivalries in Lewis County, it was nearly standing room only in one of the smallest gyms in the area.

“This was old-school basketball,” Napavine head coach Shane Schutz said. “How many female athletes in high school get to play in a gym like this that is packed?”

Two years ago, Torrey was one of the key pieces of a Mossyrock team that finished as the Class 1B state runner-up. Then just before her freshman season, she suffered a season-ending knee injury.

Now as the sixth man for Adna, Torrey is embracing her new role.

“I just go in and try to play my best,” she said.

Bannish calls her a “pass-first point guard” that is always given the green light to pull the trigger. Torrey was the second option on the play that put Adna (11-1, 2-0 C2BL) ahead for good.

“Talk about a gym rat, talk about a kid that smiles,” Bannish said. “I saw a different type of grit in her. She was playing as hard as she could, then she controlled the game.”

Napavine had several chances to squeak out a win, but late-game clock management bit an inexperienced group. It didn’t get off a clean shot down three for a potential game-tying attempt.

Schutz placed the blame solely on himself afterwards.

“We haven’t gone over a lot of late-game situations yet,” he said. “In fairness to these guys, we haven't practiced it. Hopefully we gain better knowledge and understanding.”

There were several instances of top-notch defense.

Tigers junior Hannah Fay was deplored to guard Adna star Karsyn Freeman and held her to five field goals for 16 points. Adna’s Kendall Humphrey was the primary defender on Napavine’s Hayden Kaut and limited the first team all-league to just nine points on 2-for-11 from the field.

It was 12-12 at the half and no one made a field goal until close to halfway through the first stanza.

“Physically, Kendall can handle that,” Bannish said. “We just wanted to wear (Kaut) down.”

Torrey chipped in 10 points for the Pirates while Bailey Chapman registered nine boards and five blocks. They played away from their home gym for the first time in a month and will be on the road again on Friday night versus Onalaska.

“That was good for us that we played through (the atmosphere),” Torrey said. “It will definitely boost our confidence.”

Kaut ended with a game-high 11 rebounds for Napavine. Ava Ondong and Taylen Evander each scored six points for the Tigers, who face another league unbeaten in Toutle Lake on Friday night in Toutle.

“I walked away saying we still got a lot to work on, but I hope it motivates us,” Schutz said.