Girls Prep Basketball Roundup: Montesano handles Elma to seize control of league’s second spot

Published 4:00 am Wednesday, January 21, 2026

CORRECTION: A previous version of this article contained incorrect information. Mikayla Roberts led Elma with 12 points in a loss to Montesano.

Montesano and Elma squared off in an important East County Civil War matchup as we review Tuesday’s girls prep basketball games.

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GIRLS PREP BASKETBALL

Montesano 53, Elma 43

Montesano overcame a first-half deficit and held off a late charge to beat Elma 53-43 on Tuesday at Montesano High School.

In a battle of two teams tied for second place in the 1A Evergreen League, the Bulldogs (9-6 overall, 3-1 1A Evergreen) trailed early after the Eagles (3-7, 2-2) got off to a hot start.

Elma held the lead after holding Monte to six points in the first quarter and took a 19-16 lead into the halftime break.

“We did not get off to a very good start,” Montesano head coach Mark Mansfield said. “Elma did a really nice job in the first quarter.”

The game changed on a dime in the third frame as by star senior forward Jillie Dalan’s 12 points, the Bulldogs gained the lead, outscoring Elma 21-5 in the quarter.

“We really came out in the third quarter with a little more focus and energy and took things over there for a while,” Mansfield said. “Give Elma credit, they kept fighting and battled back.”

The Eagles responded in the fourth quarter by getting to the foul line, cutting the Monte lead to as little as six points thanks to going 8-of-10 from the foul line as a team in the frame.

But the Bulldogs’ 13-point lead to enter the final eight minutes of play turned out to be too much for the Eagles to overcome as Monte took sole possession of second place in the league with the victory.

“We put them on the line way too many times in the fourth quarter. They kept coming at us and didn’t give us a chance to breathe,” Mansfield said. “Proud of our girls for the way they came out in that third quarter, flipped the switch and changed the momentum of the game.”

Dalan led all scorers with 24 points to go along with a team-best eight rebounds and three steals for the Bulldogs.

Ashlyn Lytle added nine points, seven boards, a team-high four assists and three steals while Jordyn Perry added eight points for Monte.

The Bulldogs shot 31% from the field on 16-of-51 shooting and hit 12-of-23 free throws (52%).

Elma was led by sophomore guard Mikayla Roberts with 12 points and standout senior Olivia Moore, who had a double-double with 11 points, 10 rebounds and three assists.

Killie Vest also scored in double figures with 10 points to go along with two steals.

Elma went 14 of 65 from the field (22%) and 13 of 19 from the free-throw line (68%).

Both teams will resume league play at 6:45 on Thursday.

Elma plays at Rochester while Montesano hosts Tenino.

Elma 13 6 5 19 – 43

Montesano 6 10 21 16 – 53

Scoring: Elma – Roberts 12, Moore 11, Vest 10, Tolentino 6, Monroe 2, Gonzales 2. Montesano – Dalan 24, Lytle 9, Perry 8, Blancas 7, Forster 2, Williamsen 2, Busz 1.

Hoquiam 49, Rochester 29

Hoquiam remained on top of the 1A Evergreen League standings with a 49-29 win over Rochester on Tuesday at Rochester High School.

The Grizzlies (10-5, 4-0) did it with defense by holding the Warriors (4-13, 0-4) to just 10 points over the first half and less than double digits in three of the game’s four quarters.

With just six healthy players available, Hoquiam relied on its three top players of sophomore forward Aaliyah Kennedy (19 points, 14 rebounds, 6 assists, 6 steals), senior post Sydney Gordon (15 pts., 7 reb.) and senior guard Lexi LaBounty (13 pts., 8 reb., 4 ast., 4 stl.) to get the job done. The trio accounted for all but two of Hoquiam’s 49 points in the game.

“Challenges come when you least expect them. Then it becomes what to do about them when they arise,” Hoquiam head coach Chad Allan said. “So proud of each of them as nothing came easy today, as people had to play out of position and for extended periods. Our big three made sure we were OK, and the next three just gave everything they had.”

The Grizzlies shot 17 of 46 from the field (37%) with the Warriors hitting 10-of-44 shots in the game (23%).

Hoquiam outrebounded Rochester 40-23 and had 17 turnovers to 16 for the Warriors.

“This would be an easy game to give in to the weight of the season, and road game challenges. We were not able to use our pressing tool today but used the opportunity to grow in our half-court offense and defense,” Allan said. “Survive and advance. They will all sleep well tonight.”

The Grizzlies face Raymond-South Bend in a non-league game at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday at Raymond High School.

Hoquiam 11 13 10 15 – 49

Rochester 6 4 10 9 – 29

Scoring: Hoquiam – Kennedy 19, S. Gordon 15, LaBounty 13, M. Gordon 2. Rochester – Dupont 8, Wilkins 7, Rodriguez 5, Estrada 5, Christensen 4.

Black Hills 74, Aberdeen 41

Aberdeen remained winless in league play with a 74-41 loss to Black Hills on Tuesday at Aberdeen High School.

The Bobcats (3-10, 0-5 2A Evergreen) got off to a slow start with just two points in the first quarter and trailed 38-19 by halftime.

The Wolves (9-7, 2-3) outscored the Bobcats 28-9 in the third quarter to put the game well out of reach for Aberdeen.

The Cats were led by junior guard Sophie Knutson, who scored 63% of her team’s points with 26.

Sophomore guard Bentley Brown scored eight points in the loss.

Aberdeen sits in last place in the 2A Evergreen Conference and will look to get off the schneid against Centralia at 7 p.m. on Thursday in Centralia.

Black Hills 15 23 28 8 – 74

Aberdeen 2 17 9 13 – 41

Scoring: Black Hills – Venable 22, Buchanan 16, McMahon 15, Johnson 7, O’Reilly 3, Morrison 3, Perry 2, McKissick 2, Jarmin 2, Dolby 2. Aberdeen – Knutson 26, Brown 8, Kohn 4, Ritter 2, Ervin 1.

Willapa Valley 50, Mary M. Knight 47

Trailing in the fourth quarter, Willapa Valley rallied to beat Mary M. Knight in a 1B Coastal League game on Tuesday at Willapa Valley High School.

With the game tied at 38-all in the fourth quarter, the Vikings (7-8, 4-2 1B Coastal) saw the Owls (7-7, 3-5) take the lead with a 7-0 run.

Valley clawed its way back over the final two minutes with a three from senior Kylee Fluke, a bucket from senior Paislee Hurley and a clutch three from sophomore Kaelynn Ashley to give the Vikings a 46-45 lead with 1:19 left to play.

The Owls regained the lead when standout senior Cloey Fletcher scored, but Fluke immediately answered back with a basket of her own to give Valley the lead at 48-47.

After a timeout, Vikings sophomore Tylar Keeton attacked the rim and scored to make it a 50-47 game and was followed by the Owls’ 27th turnover of the game.

Valley was able to run out the clock to secure a key league victory.

“It wasn’t our best game overall, but the final two minutes were the best basketball we played all night,” Valley head coach Dawn Keeton said. “We dug deep, stayed composed and earned a huge league win.”

Keeton led the Vikings with a 24 point, 10 rebound double-double performance.

Senior guard Lauren Matlock had 11 rebounds, Ashley had five steals and four assists, and Hurley led Valley with three blocks.

Fletcher led the Owls with 19 points, nine rebounds, six steals, six assists and two blocks.

Owls senior post Maelynn Nygaard had a double-double with 11 points, 12 rebounds and a blocked shot.

“We were ahead with a couple of minutes to go and just didn’t execute,” MMK head coach Jake Goldy said. “The top three teams in the league, we’ve stayed right with them until the end. I’m frustrated, the girls are frustrated. … We just got to quit the unforced turnovers. That kills us. We just make bad decisions with the basketball and with four seniors, that’s spooky.”

The Owls host Ocosta at 5:30 p.m. on Friday.

Valley plays at Pe Ell at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Mary M. Knight 14 14 10 9 – 47

Willapa Valley 9 16 11 14 – 50

Scoring: MMK – Fletcher 19, Nygaard 11, Reeves 9, Gonzales 4, Ziegler 2, Hughes 1, Buck 1. WV – Keeton 24, Fluke 8, Ashley 5, Verboomen 5, Matlock 4, Hurley 4.

Ocosta 52, Wishkah Valley 21

The Ocosta Wildcats picked up a 52-21 1B Coastal League victory over Wishkah Valley on Tuesday at Ocosta High School.

The Wildcats (6-7, 4-4 1B Coastal) were in control from the start, outscoring the Loggerettes (1-11, 1-7) 24-2 thanks to 10 points from sophomore Bristol Towle and seven points from standout junior Elly Mirante.

Ocosta held a commanding 37-6 lead at the half and held Valley to 15 points over the final two quarters of the game to earn the victory.

“Our girls played strong defense and rebounded with purpose on both ends of the floor,” Wildcats head coach Hunter Hatton said. “Overall, it was a great win and we need to carry this momentum into the final weeks of the season.”

Mirante led Ocosta with 17 points and a game-high 21 rebounds, 15 of those on the offensive glass.

Towle scored 14 points and dished out a team-high five assists for the Wildcats.

Ocosta made 22-of-70 shots (31%) and made 6-of-11 free throws (55%).

The Loggerettes were led by senior Addison Rainey with 11 points and went 7 of 40 from the floor (18%) and converted 5-of-8 free throws (62%).

The Wildcats face Oakville at 6 p.m. on Wednesday in Westport.

Wishkah plays at Mary M. Knight at 5:30 p.m. on Friday.

Wishkah Valley 2 4 8 7 – 21

Ocosta 24 13 10 5 – 52

Scoring: Wishkah Valley – Rainey 11, Tonseth 7, Ridgway 2, McCrory 1. Ocosta – Mirante 17, Towle 14, Wolfley 9, Morris 4, Gutierrez 2, Pratt 2, Saunders 2, Britton 2.

Other games

Naselle 58, Taholah 52