Hoquiam earned a share of the 1A Evergreen League title as we review the final league games for several Twin Harbors girls prep basketball teams.

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GIRLS PREP BASKETBALL

Montesano 42, Elma 41

Montesano earned a share of the 1A Evergreen League title with a 42-41 win in the league finale over Elma on Thursday at Elma High School.

The Bulldogs (13-7 overall, 7-1 1A Evergreen) led most of the way until the Eagles (6-9, 4-4) took a short lead late in the game.

Monte led 23-14 at halftime and led by as much as 14 points in the game but saw Elma cut the lead to 31-30 entering the fourth quarter, thanks to six points on two three’s from sophomore Mikayla Roberts and five points from junior guard Kahlea Tolentino in the third frame.

PHOTO BY MIKE ROBERTS Elma’s Kahlea Tolentino (12) drives to the basket against Montesano’s Regan Wintrip during the Eagles’ 42-41 loss on Thursday in Elma.

Elma led by as much as three points in the fourth quarter, but a bucket by junior Makena Blancas followed by a free throw from senior Jillie Dalan down the stretch gave Montesano the lead for good to preserve the victory.

“Lot of credit to Elma, they kept fighting,” Monte head coach Mark Mansfield said. “They came out and took it to us (in the second half). They just played harder in the third quarter.”

Monte was led by Blancas, who had a standout performance with a game-high 17 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals for the Bulldogs.

Two-time league MVP Dalan added another double-double to her resumé with 12 points and 13 rebounds to go along with four assists and three steals.

PHOTO BY HAILEY BLANCAS Montesano senior Jillie Dalan puts up a jump shot during a 42-41 victory over Elma on Thursday at Elma High School.

Monte went 17 for 15 from the floor (23%) and 5 of 13 from the free-throw line (39%).

“Nice to win a really tight game. Rivalry games are almost always going to be tight like that,” Mansfield said. “Even though we didn’t play our best game, but we found a way to eke it out in the end.”

PHOTO BY HAILEY BLANCAS Montesano’s Makena Blancas had a team-high 17 points and hit a clutch shot in the fourth quarter in a 42-41 win over Elma on Thursday in Elma.

Elma was led by standout and league-MVP candidate in senior forward Olivia Moore, who had a double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds.

Tolentino also scored in double digits with 11 points while freshman Mercedes Carter had 10 rebounds added 10 rebounds for Elma.

Elma shot 33% from the field on 15-of-45 shooting and made 9-of-22 free throws (41%).

Both teams will compete in the 1A District 4 Tournament scheduled to begin on Friday, Feb. 13.

Montesano 8 15 8 11 – 42

Elma 5 9 16 11 – 41

Scoring: Montesano – Blancas 17, Dalan 12, Perry 9, Wintrip 4. Elma – Moore 15, Tolentino 11, Roberts 6, Vest 4, Gonzales 3, Carter 2.

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SUBMITTED PHOTO Ocosta junior Elly Mirante (left) broke the school record for rebounds in a season previously held by Kristi Raffelson (right) in a loss to Willapa Valley on Thursday at Willapa Valley High School. Mirante finished the season with 322 rebounds.

Willapa Valley 44, Ocosta 25

It was a memorable game for both teams in Willapa Valley’s 44-25 win over Ocosta on Thursday at Willapa Valley High School.

The Vikings (9-11, 5-4 1B Coastal) celebrated Senior Night with a victory while the Wildcats (7-13, 4-8) commemorated a new school record for one of their stars.

Neither team broke double digits throughout the first two quarters as Valley took a 14-12 lead at the halftime break.

The Vikings opened the second half on a 9-0 run to “shift the momentum,” according to Valley head coach Dawn Keeton.

“From that point on, we knew we had to maintain that energy to secure the win — and the girls did exactly that, never letting up the rest of the game,” Valley head coach Dawn Keeton said. “Our seniors led the way with outstanding intensity and leadership, setting the tone on both ends of the floor and helping carry us through the second half.”

“We played a really solid first half and competed the way we wanted to,” Ocosta head coach Hunter Hatton said. “The second half got away from us, but I was proud of the fight the girls showed.”

Valley was led by sophomore Tylar Keeton (17 pts., 8 reb., 5 stl, 3 ast., 3 blk.) and honored seniors Lauren Matlock (12 pts., 11 reb., 4 stl., 2 ast.), Kylee Fluke (7 pts.) and Paislee Hurley (2 pts.).

Ocosta was led by sophomore Bristol Towle with nine points and junior Elly Mirante with eight points and a game-high 17 rebounds and six blocks.

With her 17 rebounds, Mirante broke the Ocosta school record for rebounds in a season previously held by Kristi Raffelson with 318. Mirante finished the evening with 322 rebounds this season.

“A huge highlight tonight was Elly Mirante breaking Ocosta’s single-season rebounding record, which speaks to her effort and consistency all year,” Hatton said.

Valley went 20 for 68 from the field (29%) and 1 of 8 from the free-throw line (13%) and committed just seven turnovers in the win.

Ocosta turned the ball over 16 times and went 9 for 43 from the field (21%) and 4 of 19 from the charity stripe (19%).

The Vikings enter the 1B District 4 Tournament as the Coastal League’s No. 4 seed and will face Wahkiakum in a first-round game at 7 p.m. on Tuesday at Wahkiakum High School.

“There’s still more basketball ahead of us,” Coach Keeton said. “The message to the girls has been simple all season: when they commit to four complete quarters and play to their full potential, they’re a very tough team to beat.”

Ocosta’s season ends with a fifth-place finish in the league standings.

“This was a very young team that grew tremendously from start to finish,” Hatton said. “We took big steps as a program and with no seniors graduating we’re excited to continue building on that growth next year.”

Ocosta 5 7 7 6 – 25

Willapa Valley 7 7 17 13 – 44

Scoring: Ocosta – Towle 9, Mirante 8, Gutierrez 5, Morris 3. Willapa Valley – Keeton 17, Matlock 12, Fluke 7, Andrews 4, Ashley 2, Hurley 2.

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Black Hills 70, Aberdeen 23

Aberdeen’s season came to an end with a 70-23 loss to Black Hills on Thursday at Black Hills High School.

The Bobcats (3-15, 0-10 2A Evergreen) scored no more than seven points in any quarter of the game against the Wolves (13-8, 6-4), which had the Bobcats in a 24-7 hole after one quarter of play.

Aberdeen was led by junior guard Sophie Knutson with 10 points and shot 17% from the floor on 6-of-36 shooting and made 8-of-12 free throws (66%).

“While our final record of 3-15 and 0-10 in league play might not jump off the page, I couldn’t be more energized by the foundation we’ve built this year,” Aberdeen first-year head coach Dan Brown said of his young team that graduates three seniors in Ella Daniels, Maddi Ritter and Wendy Neil. “Stepping into a brand-new system is a massive undertaking, and watching this group embrace that challenge head-on was truly inspiring. With only three players returning with significant varsity experience, we were essentially a young squad learning to swim in the deep end. Every game was a master class in resilience and a valuable learning opportunity that you simply can’t replicate in practice. I am incredibly proud of our energy. If we carry this work ethic into the summer, the leap we’re going to take next year will be something special to behold. I’d like to thank my assistant coaches Brandon Knutson and Erin Pehl for the dedication and hard work this past season.”

Aberdeen 7 2 7 7 – 23

Black Hills 24 11 15 20 – 70

Scoring: Aberdeen – Knutson 10, Brown 5, Shoemaker 4, Baker 2, C. Kohn 2. Black Hills – Venable 16, McMahon 14, Buchanan 14, Johnson 10, Morrison 6, McKissick 4, Perry 2, Jarmin 2, Dolby 2.