Boys Prep Basketball Roundup: Twin Harbors teams struggle in first-round state games

Published 1:30 am Sunday, March 1, 2026

Twin Harbors boys basketball teams had a rough go of it in the first round of their respective state tournaments on Friday and Saturday.

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BOYS PREP BASKETBALL

Columbia Adventist 63, Willapa Valley 60

Defensive breakdowns led to a gut-punch of a loss as Willapa Valley’s season ended in a 63-60 loss to Columbia Adventist in a 1B State Tournament second-round game on Saturday at Tumwater High School.

The 9th-seeded Vikings (17-8 overall), which had defeated the No. 17 Kodiaks (18-7) three previous times this season, held a 39-30 lead at halftime.

But Valley struggled on the defensive end to slow a Columbia Adventist team playing with a sense of urgency as the Kodiaks would tie the game after three quarters of play and would hold on to beat league-rival Willapa Valley for the first time this season.

“Heartbreaking loss for sure,” Valley head coach Derek Rask said. “Our team defense really struggled and broke down for most of the game. Columbia Adventist was aggressive, and we simply had a difficult time getting stops and rebounds when we needed them.”

Junior forward Brody Aust and junior guard Max Jarvis scored 15 points apiece while junior point guard Lucas Lusk scored 12 points to go along with five assists and five steals.

Valley senior center J.B. Russell finished with 11 points and eight rebounds in the loss.

The Vikings beat the Kodiaks 51-40 in a Dec. 1 season-opening game, 57-52 on Jan. 15 and 64-46 on Feb. 18 in a district-semifinal game.

“I would like to thank our seniors for their contributions to our program,” said Rask. “They will be missed.”

CAA 13 17 19 14 – 63

Willapa Valley 18 21 10 11 – 60

Scoring: Willapa Valley – Aust 15, Jarvis 15, Lusk 12, Russell 11, King 7.

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Wapato 63, Montesano 38

Montesano never recovered from a poor first quarter en route to a 63-38 season-ending loss to Wapato in a 1A State Tournament first-round game on Friday at Davis High School in Yakima.

The 13th-seeded Bulldogs (17-7) trailed by 12 points after eight minutes due to shooting 1 for 12 with eight turnovers in the first quarter against the No. 12 Wolves (16-11).

“Wapato came out and set the tone from the beginning and we struggled to match that early,” Monte head coach Shaydon Farmer said. “They were very active defensively and it showed with our turnover and shooting numbers.”

The Bulldogs’ fortunes didn’t improve in the second frame as nine more turnovers led to a 39-15 deficit by halftime.

Monte scored 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting in the third quarter, but eight turnovers led to the Wolves increasing their lead to a comfortable 55-27 entering the fourth quarter.

There would be no miraculous comeback as the Bulldogs’ season would end in the first round of the state tournament.

Monte was led by junior forward Caden Grubb, who had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Senior forward Mason Fry scored eight points and had a team-high 12 rebounds in his final game for Montesano.

The Bulldogs shot 37% from the floor (11-30 FG), including 1 of 15 from beyond the arc (7%), and converted 13-of-24 free throws (54%).

Monte had 45 rebounds and committed 29 turnovers as a team.

“Afterwards, I had to steal the quote from (former Monte head football coach Terry) Jensen that we always want our seniors to leave the program better than when they got here four years ago. I can confidently say that they accomplished that,” Farmer said. “I am very proud of what these boys were able to do this season. Accomplished some things that haven’t been done very often for quite some time in Monte. This season may have ended, but hopefully this group of guys will remember this team and their best friends for many, many years.”

Montesano 6 9 12 11 – 38

Wapato 18 21 16 8 – 63

Scoring: Montesano – Ca. Grubb 11, Fry 8, Weidman 5, Dowler 5, Co. Grubb 4, D. Bruland 3, Messick 1, Ames 1. Wapato – Bobb 20, Fiander 16, Garza 16, Slockish-Valdez 7, Eneas 2, Van Pelt 2.

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Elma 56, Overlake 64

Elma’s run in state ended on Saturday with a 64-56 loss to Overlake in a 1A State Tournament opening-round game at Issaquah High School.

The No. 14 Eagles (14-8) saw their season end against the No. 11 Owls (18-7).

Elma was led by sophomore guard JanCarlos Moreno with 12 points to go along with four rebounds.

Senior forward and freshly-minted league MVP Isaac McGaffey ended his prep career with 11 points, nine rebounds, two assists, two blocked shots and a steal.

Senior guard Tanner Moe also scored in double digits in his final game as an Eagle with 10 points while grabbing eight rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block.

The Eagles shot 39% on 21-of-54 shooting, including 6 of 24 from 3-point range (25%), and made 8-of-10 free throws (80%).

Elma had 44 rebounds as a team but were hampered with 24 turnovers and 17 fouls, with both McGaffey and Moe fouling out in the game.

“What an incredible ride. Can’t be more proud of my kids and the community of Elma. It was short-lived, but the town came together just like my boys did the last two weeks,” Elma head coach Matt Ferrier said. “All the credit goes to my kids. They set their goals this year and obtained it. A ton of careers end at the state tournament. Lot of seniors go out, play hard and try to reach the pinnacle of hoops – the Dome. Their careers end one step short, but it doesn’t mean they weren’t successful. Dylan Myer, Trayton Webb, Cole Niemi, Tyler Keith, Tanner Moe and Isaac McGaffey, thanks for working your tails off and helping obtain state for only the second time since 2002. Thank you for showing the younger kids what it takes to be a success. Thank you also to Keith Brown and Stewart Conn. My new staff this year stepped in and we didn’t lose a beat.”

Scoring: Elma – Moreno 12, McGaffey 11, Moe 10, Muir 9, Landstron 6, Yeager 4, Webb 4.