Elma and Montesano stayed in contention for a top league playoff spot with wins as we review Thursday’s girls prep basketball games on the Harbor.

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GIRLS PREP BASKETBALL

Elma 51, Rochester 30

Elma got scoring up and down the lineup in a 51-30 1A Evergreen League win over Rochester on Thursday in Rochester.

The Eagles (4-7 overall, 3-2 1A Evergreen) led by a point over the Warriors (4-14, 0-5) after one quarter before taking control of the game in the second frame, pitching a 17-0 shutout led by senior forward Olivia Moore’s seven points to take a 32-15 lead into the break.

PHOTO BY MIKE ROBERTS Elma’s Olivia Moore (33) is fouled during a 51-30 win over Rochester in a 1A Evergreen League game on Thursday at Elma High School.

Elma’s defense held Rochester to just 15 points in the second half en route to the 51-30 victory.

Eagles sophomore Mikayla Roberts continues to emerge as a solid scorer with a game-high 17 points that included five 3-pointers.

Moore finished with nine points and eight rebounds while freshman Mercedes Carter had a team-best five assists for Elma.

Ten players scored for the Eagles, which shot 29% from the field on 20-of-69 shooting and had 45 rebounds and just 10 turnovers as a team.

PHOTO BY MIKE ROBERTS Elma freshman Mercedes Carter (10) dribbles the ball during a 51-30 victory over Rochester on Thursday at Elma High School.

With the win, the Eagles remain in third place in the league standings, one game behind second-place Montesano and two off the pace of first-place Hoquiam.

Elma hosts Aberdeen in a non-league game at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Elma 16 17 10 8 – 51

Rochester 15 0 6 9 – 30

Scoring: Elma – Roberts 17, Moore 9, Vest 5, Carter 4, Tolentino 3, Monroe 3, Smith 3, Gonzales 3, Skeem 2, Heley 2. Rochester – Dupont 16, Rodriguez 6, Wilkins 5, Kesting 2, Estrada 1.

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Montesano 67, Tenino 30

Montesano kept its spot in the league standings with a 67-30 thrashing over Tenino on Thursday at Montesano High School.

Leading by three after one quarter of play, the Bulldogs (10-6, 4-1 1A Evergreen) turned up the defensive intensity against the Beavers (5-13, 1-4), holding Tenino to seven total points in the second and third quarters combined to seize control of the game.

“Tenino came out hit couple threes early, they are a scrappy group,” Monte head coach Mark Mansfield said. “We picked up defensive intensity in the second and third quarters and that turned the tide of the game.”

Monte turned what was an 18-15 lead after one quarter of play to a 57-22 lead entering the fourth period.

The Bulldogs were led by junior guard Makena Blancas with 22 points and eight rebounds.

Senior forward Jillie Dalan (14 points) and senior Regan Wintrip (10 points, 6 rebounds) also finished in double figures while sophomore Jordyn Perry filled up the stat sheet with nine points, six rebounds and five assists for Montesano.

Freshman Ashlyn Lytle led the Bulldogs with four steals.

“Our bench really did a nice job coming in and keeping up the defensive intensity,” Mansfield said. “That kind of the difference in the game was we just didn’t let up defensively in those second and third quarters.”

Montesano hit 26-of-67 shots from the field (39%) and hit 10-of-15 free throws (66%).

The Bulldogs outrebounded the Beavers 42-21.

Monte hosts Bellevue Christian in a non-league contest at noon on Saturday.

Tenino 15 3 4 8 – 30

Montesano 18 18 21 10 – 67

Scoring: Tenino – Gonia 10, Jones 10, Gore 5, Watson 3, Pfaff 2. Montesano – Blancas 22, Dalan 14, Wintrip 10, Perry 9, Williamsen 3, Busz 3, Lytle 2, Hart 2, Kaivo-Houlton 2.

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Centralia 72, Aberdeen 44

Aberdeen’s young squad saw Centralia pull away in the second half of a 72-44 loss on Thursday in Centralia.

The Bobcats (3-11, 0-6 2A Evergreen) played solid defense in the first half, trailing by just six points at halftime.

But the Tigers (11-6, 2-4) pulled away over the final two quarters of the game, dominating the offensive glass to hit seven uncontested catch-and-shoot 3-pointers to outscore the Bobcats 48-26.

Aberdeen was led by junior guards Sophie Knutson and Bentley Brown, who used a pick-and-roll game to score 22 and 14 points, respectively.

Junior Sawyer Shoemaker had a team-high nine rebounds in the game, seven in the first half, while junior guard Kensie Ervin added five rebounds for the Bobcats.

“The girls fought hard in the first half and played some of the best defense they’ve played all year. Sawyer Shoemaker was awesome on the glass in the first half,” Aberdeen head coach Dan Brown said. “We tried some new things offensively in the second half and found a few new ways to score, but ultimately our defense failed us again.”

Aberdeen sits in last place in the 2A Evergreen Conference and will face Elma in a non-league game at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday in Elma.

Aberdeen 7 11 9 17 – 44

Centralia 13 11 20 28 – 72

Scoring: Aberdeen – Knutson 22, Brown 14, Shoemaker 2, Ervin 2, Ritter 2. Centralia –Saucedo 17, Sprague 13, Ahern 13, Bussanich 8, Erickson 6, Greenther 5, Gwinn 4, Ferch 3, Lowe 3.