Montesano and Willapa Valley picked up wins as we review Tuesday’s boys prep basketball games on the Harbor.

BOYS PREP BASKETBALL

Montesano 69, Centralia 43

If the first four games of the season are any indication, the Montesano Bulldogs are for real.

Monte used a smothering defense to dominate the Centralia Tigers in a 69-43 victory on Tuesday in Montesano.

After a first quarter that ended with Monte up 13-11 after holding as much as a seven-point lead, the Bulldogs (3-1 overall) traded leads with the Tigers before going on a 9-0 run to take a 26-18 lead on a steal and one-hand dunk by senior forward Gabe Bodwell with 2:30 left in the first half.

Monte center Soren Cobb closed out the half with a bucket in the low post off a pass from guard Terek Gunter for a 28-20 lead at the break.

RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Montesano center Soren Cobb (32) passes the ball during a 69-43 win over Centralia on Tuesday at Montesano High School.

As good as the Bulldogs looked in the first half, they were even better in the second.

Monte opened the third quarter on a 10-0 run on the back of its press defense fronted by Gunter and fellow guard Delon Chan, a 6-foot-1 junior exchange student that has quickly become a top player for the Bulldogs.

Chan capped the run with a 3-pointer at 5:03 of the frame to put Monte up 38-20.

“We have a great group of kids, a great team that the chemistry within themselves is off the charts,” Montesano head coach Leonard Barnes said. “They’ve bought into that. They’re working really hard.”

The Bulldogs weren’t done yet.

After Centralia (1-3) broke the spell with a free throw followed by a layup, Monte closed out the quarter on an 18-0 run highlighted by a Chan steal and behind-the-back pass to and open Gunter, who scored on a reverse layup.

By the time the buzzer sounded on the third quarter, there was little doubt as to the outcome with Monte up 56-23.

RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Montesano guard Delon Chan (21) puts up a jump shot against Centralia’s Aidan Haines during the Bulldogs’ 69-43 win on Tuesday in Montesano. Chan had 24 points to lead all scorers.

“We changed a few things defensively and got after it and were in the right spot at the right time. … We were mixing up a little full-court press with some traps,” said Barnes, who added both his perimeter and interior players committed to the team’s defensive concepts. “All those wing guys brought it. They brought energy and had active hands and got a lot of deflections. … Those (post) guys controlled that interior and gave us a lot of rebound chances and didn’t give (Centralia) very many second-chance points, so we were able to get out in transition and run.”

The Tigers, who were in their second game in as many days after suffering a 64-60 loss to Elma the night before, outscored Monte 20-13 in the final quarter against mostly the Bulldogs reserves.

Chan led all scorers with 24 points – 16 of those in Monte’s 28-3 third quarter – four steals and a pair of assists.

Bodwell scored 10 points and grabbed three rebounds while senior guard Jaxson Wilson had a solid all-around floor game with 10 points, five rebounds and four assists.

Ten Bulldogs scored in the game as Monte shot 28-of-74 from the field (38%), including 20-of-46 from inside the 3-point line (43%).

Monte had 32 rebounds, 15 assists and 14 steals to just nine turnovers as a team.

Barnes, who took over the head coaching duties heading into this season, said Monte’s drastic turnaround from a basement-dwelling finish last season has much to do with the mental aspects of the game.

“The kids believe,” Barnes said. “We talk about never giving up and being relentless and being passionate about what we do. They’ve bought into that and I love every one of them for the effort their giving for their team and their family here at Montesano.”

The Bulldogs face Castle Rock at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 13 in Castle Rock.

Centralia 11 9 3 20 – 43

Montesano 13 15 28 13 – 69

Scoring: Centralia – Bellard 11, Jenkins 10, Sprague 8, Yeung 5, Daarud 4, Wasson 3. Montesano – Chan 24, Bodwell 10, Wilson 10, Cobb 8, Damasiewicz 4, Peterson 3, Gunter 2, Taylor 2, Anderson 2, Dowler 2.

Willapa Valley 48, Columbia Adventist 42

Willapa Valley opened league play with a 48-42 victory over Columbia Adventist Academy on Tuesday in Vancouver.

Nathan Fluke led the Vikings (1-2, 1-0 1B Columbia Valley) with 16 points and nine rebounds.

Hank Ritzman scored 13 points and grabbed seven boards while Brody Ritzman had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds for Willapa Valley.

“We started league play tonight, so this was a must win for us, and that is how we approached this game,” Vikings head coach Derek Rask said. “This is a tough place to play, and I thought our boys did a nice job of sticking to our game plan and executing.”

Willapa Valley hosts Pe Ell in a league game at 7:45 p.m. on Thursday in Menlo.

Willapa Valley 13 11 15 9 – 48

Columbia Adventist 14 11 10 7 – 42

Other scores

Black Hills 65, Aberdeen 46