OAKVILLE — Pe Ell moved closer to a league title and an unbeaten regular season on Thursday, defeating Oakville on the road 56-34.
The win pushes the Trojans to 16-0 overall, and if they can defeat Wahkiakum at home on Tuesday, they’ll clinch the 1B Columbia Valley title.
They got off to a quick start against the Acorns, going on a 12-2 run to open the game before slowing extending their lead throughout the rest of the game.
The game quickly became physical, as the referees let the players on both sides play.
“That’s what it’s gonna be like come districts,” Pe Ell coach Kelsey Lennox said. “It’s nice to see what we need to work on. You’re not always gonna get the call, so you gotta play through it.”
Peyton Zock was still able to have success inside, grabbing 15 rebounds, scoring 12 points, and blocking four shots, and Karli Phelps tallied 15 points, seven steals, five assists, and five rebounds.
Maisy King just missed a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds, and she also added four steals and three assists, and Madi Engel added nine points and four assists of her own.
Senior Brookelynn King made her return after missing several weeks with an injury, and she scored four points, came down with five rebounds, and dished out two assists.
She received a loud ovation from the Pe Ell crowd when she entered the game and sank a free-throw for her first point of the night.
“The team has so much confidence in her,” Lennox said. “And it was good for me to be able to see where she’s at and how she can get up and down the floor. I think she did well. It was awesome.”
Ui’lani Siufanua led the Acorns with 11 points, while Nae Nae Filitaula scored eight and Andrea Mendez-Castro.
Despite the loss, Oakville (10-8, 4-5 1B CVL) has clinched its spot in the district tournament, and interim coach Jessica Spitzer likes where the team is at.
Spitzer became the interim coach last week, when former coach Kevin Cavanaugh stepped down.
“The girls are really pulling together and they look more like a family than I’ve ever seen before,” Spitzer said. “We had girls rallying with each other who don’t necessarily do that on a regular basis … it was really nice to see them come together.”
Spitzer also noted that it’s the first time in the past eight years that the Acorns have hit 10 wins, and she’s excited to see what they can do in the postseason.
They’ll wrap up their regular season next Thursday, Feb. 6. If they finish tied with Columbia Adventist in the league standings, they’ll play a tiebreaker on either Feb. 8 or 11.
“They look more seasoned,” Spitzer said. “They’re looking like ball players, and that’s all you can ask for.”
The Trojans (16-0, 8-0 1A CVL) have two home league games next week, Tuesday against Wahkiakum and Thursday against Columbia Adventist. After that, the attention will quickly turn to districts, which begin on Thursday, Feb. 13.
“We’re just looking to improve on the little things,” Lennox said. “We gotta have contributions from everybody on the court … We’re just looking to push ourselves and get better each and every game.”
