The Toledo boys basketball team clawed back into the game against Chief Leschi on Friday, but the Riverhawks couldn’t complete the comeback in a 58-53 loss.
Chief Leschi came out of the gates ready to play, immediately deploying their up-tempo offense to the time of 18 points in the first quarter and 22 in the second.
Toledo had a hard time keeping pace, and the Riverhawks (15-10) entered the locker room at halftime down 17.
“That kind of just put us on our heels,” Toledo coach Grady Fallon said. “There’s nobody like that team, it’s just hard to match that and prepare for that. You have to really focus mentally.”
Toledo slowly began chipping away at the lead, as eighth-grader Conner Hill shot 3 for 3 from deep in the third quarter to give the Riverhawks a much-needed spark. Hill went on to add a fourth three in the fourth quarter.
“Hill just stepped up,” Fallon said. “It was his time tonight. It was awesome.”
With the help of Hill and threes from Rogan Stanley and Kaven Winters, the Riverhawks were able to get as close as four midway through the fourth, but they couldn’t get any closer. They failed to capitalize on Chief Leschi’s miscues, as the Warriors shot just 3 of 10 from the free-throw line in the final frame.
“They gave us chances to get back in it,” Fallon said. “We just couldn’t convert.”
Hill and Cooper Fallon led Toledo with 12 points each, while Fallon also grabbed 10 boards to secure a double-double. Winters finished with 11 points, while Stanley added seven and also hauled in 10 rebounds.
The Riverhawks are not eliminated with the loss, but they drop down to the winner-to-state, loser-out fifth-place game on Saturday at noon against Wahkiakum at W.F. West.
