Vikings Vanquish Trojans in Rivalry Showdown

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Mossyrock reeled off a 16-6 run in the third quarter to outdistance Pe Ell in the second half for a 48-40 victory over the Trojans in Pe Ell Wednesday during a 1B Columbia Valley League rivalry matchup.

In his first full game of the season, Zack Munoz scored a game-high 21 points, which included four 3-pointers, to help pace the Vikings’ offense. Keegan Kolb added 16 points and Easton Kolb chipped in seven.

Pe Ell led at the half, holding a 17-15 lead, but Mossy’s big third quarter flipped the match in the Vikings’ favor as they led by as many as 10. Pe Ell was never able to cut the deficit to less than six as Mossyrock held on for the win.

“The third quarter has been our Achilles heel all year long,” Pe Ell coach Chris Phelps said. “They relaxed and we tightened up. But this was a game we needed.”

Blake Howard led the Trojans’ attack with a team-high 17 points, while Wyatt Marrs added 12. The Trojans shot just 16 of 50 (32%) from the field and 4 of 12 (33%) from the line.

“Blake had an outstanding performance,” Phelps said. “He put the team on his shoulders.”

Pe Ell has now lost two straight and falls to 3-5 overall and 0-3 in league play. The Trojans next head to Naselle for another league matchup on Friday.

“I’m still optimistic,” Phelps said. “I still believe in these guys. We’ve just gotta play our best basketball at the right time.”

Mossyrock (2-4, 1-0 CVL) snaps a two-game losing skid and hosts Muckleshoot Tribal at 11 a.m. on Saturday in a non-league matchup.