The Vikings are looking forward to a trip to Spokane — if for no other reason than to play someone who isn’t Columbia Adventist.
Mossyrock blew out the Kodiaks, 59-45, on Saturday in Chehalis to advance to the 1B state basketball tournament’s Round of 12 next week in Spokane.
Zack Munoz led the way with 20 points for Mossyrock, which returns to the Lilac City for the first time since 2016.
“It’s been my dream since I was a little kid,” said Munoz, who had an older brother on the 2016 squad. “We wanted it bad. It’s been our dream, forever, through all our high school careers.”
The teams’ fourth meeting this season was only marginally closer than the first three, which Mossyrock won by 16, 17 and 19 points.
“It’s a pleasure to play with them. They bring it every single time,” Munoz said. “They’re always just giving it their best against us, just pushing the ball up the court and everything. They’re a really good team.”
Mossyrock coach Tom Kelly praised the Kodiaks’ tough style of play.
“I didn’t like playing a team four times, and they didn’t either,” Kelly said. “They weren’t happy about it, and I don’t blame them. They’re good.”
Playing their typically energetic style, the Vikings ran out to a 13-point halftime lead and pushed it to 39-16 midway through the third quarter.
Columbia Adventist went on a 15-2 run and trimmed it to 10 late in the third, only to see Easton Kolb take a dribble past halfcourt and nail a 3-pointer at the third-quarter buzzer to make it 45-31.
Columbia Adventist got the lead down to eight points on two occasions in the fourth quarter, both times on buckets from Levi Carlton.
Four free throws from Hunter Isom and a basket from Cooper Young in the final two minutes, though, kept Mossyrock ahead by a safe margin.
Isom finished with 10 points. Easton Kolb scored 10 and Keegan Kolb chipped in nine.
Carlton led Columbia Adventist with 19.
Mossyrock (19-6) now takes on Lummi Nation in Wednesday’s loser-out round. The Vikings beat Lummi, 63-51, at the Mt. Vernon tournament over Christmas break.
“They’re a good team, but I think we’re better now than we were then,” Kelly said, “so I like that draw.”
Kelly was also happy with his team’s progression through his first season as the Vikings’ head coach.
“We didn’t show it tonight, but we’re a pretty good team. We rebound better than what we showed, we run better — but they’ve never been here, in this situation,” he said. “We’ve just got to play a little looser. People tend to tighten up when they get to state or even districts.”
Mossyrock and Lummi Nation tip off at 3:45 p.m. on Wednesday in the Spokane Arena. The winner advances to face Willapa Valley in the double-elimination portion of the bracket on Thursday.
