Elma and Montesano won their league openers while a two-time league MVP hit a career milestone as we review Wednesday’s girls prep basketball games on the Harbor.
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GIRLS PREP BASKETBALL
Elma 63, Rochester 37
After starting off the season with four-straight losses, Elma Wednesday at Elma High School.
The Eagles (2-5 overall, 1-0 1A Evergreen) jumped out to an early 11-point lead after one quarter thanks to a red-hot Mikayla Roberts, who hit three 3-pointers in the first quarter, and forward Olivia Moore, who scored eight of her game-high 26 points in the frame.
Elma doubled up on the Warriors (4-9, 0-1) 32-16 by halftime and continued to outplay Rochester in the second half, led by 14 points from Moore.
“I’m so proud of our girls,” Elma head coach Brandi Henry said. “We have put in a lot of work and it was exciting to see that executed on both ends of the floor.”
PHOTO BY MIKE ROBERTS Elma’s Mikayla Roberts (5) hit five 3-pointers in a 63-37 victory over Rochester on Wednesday at Elma High School.
Elma shot 39% from the field on 24-of-62 shooting, led by Moore’s 10-of-16 night (63%).
The Eagles also hit 9-of-16 free throws in the game (56%).
Moore added a team-best nine rebounds and five steals to round out another solid performance for the senior standout.
Roberts finished with 19 points – drilling 5-of-11 threes in the game (45%) – to go along with an assist and a steal in the win.
Merecedes Carter and Emmalin Gonzales had seven rebounds apiece for an Eagles squad that hit the glass with 34 rebounds as a team to 30 for the Warriors, including a 17-11 advantage on the offensive boards.
Elma hosts Tenino at 7 p.m. on Friday.
Rochester 9 7 10 11 – 37
Elma 20 12 16 14 – 63
Scoring: Rochester – Dupont 20, Hoover 12, Verd 2, Hines 2, Wilkins 1. Elma – Moore 26, Roberts 19, Vest 6, Carter 4, Gonzales 3, Tolentino 2, Heley 2.
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SUBMITTED PHOTO Mary M. Knight senior guard Cloey Fletcher (1) stands next to Owls head coach Jake Goldy after scoring the 1,000th point of her stellar prep career in a 63-31 loss to Naselle on Wednesday at Naselle High School.
Naselle 63, Mary M. Knight 31
Mary M. Knight standout Cloey Fletcher reached a career milestone in the Owls’ 63-31 loss to Naselle on Wednesday at Naselle High School.
With a long-range jump shot in the second quarter, Fletcher became just the second Owl to surpass 1,000 points in their prep career, joining Kaylee Sowle on the exclusive list.
The two-time 1B Coastal League MVP who recorded a rare-quadruple double in a win over Ocosta on Dec. 16, finished with a team-high 16 points for the Owls (5-4, 3-2 1B Coastal).
“She’s one of the most competitive kids I’ve coached and I’ve been doing this a long time,” MMK head coach Jake Gold said of his star senior. “I never have to worry about her effort level and she works to make her teammates better.”
MMK shot uncharacteristically low at 22% on 14-of-65 shooting and hit just 1-of-16 free throws in the game (6%).
Naselle outrebounded Mary M. Knight 51-31 and the Owls had 34 turnovers as a team, double their average.
“We just didn’t have it to night,” Goldy said. “I take my hat off to Naselle. They are better than I thought they were.”
Junior forward Bella Buck had six points, four rebounds and two steals for the Owls while senior post Andiana Ziegler grabbed a team-high nine rebounds for Mary M. Knight.
The Owls host Rochester in a non-league matchup at 5:30 p.m. on Friday.
MMK 6 2 12 11 – 31
Naselle 13 19 11 16 – 63
Scoring: MMK – Fletcher 16, Buck 6, P. Hughes 4, Reeves 3, H. Hughes 2. Naselle – Avalon 26, Davis 20.
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Montesano 60, Tenino 44
Montesano came ready to play en route to a 60-44 win over Tenino in a 1A Evergreen League opener on Wednesday in Tenino.
The Bulldogs (7-5, 1-0) broke 60 points for the first time this season thanks to 27 points from standout senior forward Jillie Dalan and eight different players scoring in the game.
Dalan added five rebounds and three steals to her stat line while guard Josie Forster provided a spark with 12 points and five boards.
Senior post Regan Wintrip scored four points, had three steals and pulled down a team-best 10 rebounds while freshman wing Ashlyn Lytle dished out five assists for the Bulldogs.
“We came out with good energy. We played harder and did a lot of good things,” Monte head coach Mark Mansfield said. “We shared the ball really well. Give Tenino credit, they are young and played hard. Every time we seemed to have the game in control, they’d hit a three and comeback to still be in the ball game. It was a good, solid road win, but there is still room for improvement on our side.”
Montesano shot 41% from the field and hit 11-of-18 free throws (61%) while outrebounding the Beavers (3-9, 0-1) 43-20, with 17 on the offensive glass.
The Bulldogs host Hoquiam in a league game at 6 p.m. on Friday.
Montesano 16 16 16 12 – 60
Tenino 8 12 10 14 – 44
Scoring: Montesano – Dalan 27, Forster 12, Blancas 5, Lytle 4, Williamsen 4, Wintrip 4, Perry 2, Kaivo-Houlton 2.
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Forks 61, Hoquiam 45
Hoquiam fell for the third time in its past four games with a 61-45 loss to Forks on Wednesday at Forks High School.
The Grizzlies (5-5) never got off the proverbial bus, scoring just 11 points in the first half to trail 44-11 at halftime.
“Unfortunately, we did not come with the energy and toughness to match Forks tonight,” Hoquiam head coach Chad Allan said. “We struggled in every aspect of the game first half and dug a deep hole.”
The Grizzlies finally got things going in the fourth quarter with 22 points led by seniors Lexi LaBounty and Sydney Gordon with nine and seven points in the frame, respectively, but it would not be enough to stave off the defeat.
Hoquiam shot 34% from the field on 15-of-44 shooting and were outrebounded by the Spartans (6-7) 26-18.
The Grizzlies also committed 21 turnovers in the loss.
“We still have a lot of work to do,” Allan said. “Hats off to Forks for such a high energy first half. We did well against their second unit in the second half. Proud of my team for dealing with the adversity of being down big and finding ways to improve in the second half.”
Hoquiam opens its league schedule against Montesano at 6 p.m. Friday in Montesano.
Hoquiam 5 6 12 22 – 45
Forks 19 25 12 5 – 61
Scoring: Hoquiam – S. Gordon 19, LaBounty 14, Kennedy 8, Brodhead 4. Forks – Johnson 19, Gaydeski 11, B. Rondeau 9, Dilley 8, Neel 6, Peters 4, Crowder 3, H. Rondeau 2.
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Centralia 68, Aberdeen 55
Foul trouble proved costly in Aberdeen’s 68-55 loss to Centralia on Tuesday at Aberdeen High School.
In the 2A Evergreen League opener for both teams, the Bobcats (3-5, 0-1 2A Evergreen) benefited from transition buckets to take a 37-35 halftime lead over the 15th-ranked Tigers (10-2, 1-0).
Thanks to two fastbreak baskets and a 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter, Centralia took a 52-44 lead into the final frame.
The Bobcats foul troubles then got the best of them as sharpshooting guard Bentley Brown and starting forward Sawyer Shoemaker both fouled out by the halfway point of the fourth quarter, severely hampering Aberdeen’s comeback attempts.
Aberdeen guard Sophie Knutson had her best scoring game of the season with 33 points.
“Sophie had had an amazing game. Centralia couldn’t stop her,” Aberdeen head coach Dan Brown said. “She hit multiple jumpers and converted off the dribble time and time again. She also handled the Centralia pressure and only had one turnover. I’m super proud of her performance and desire to win.”
Aberdeen’s Kensie Ervin scored nine points in the game while freshman Emilia Kohn had six rebounds and three assists in the loss.
The Bobcats hit 19-of-48 shots from the floor (40%) and made 13-of-21 free throws (62%).
“We played our best offensive game of the season, but giving up 68 points is not going to be a recipe for success,” Brown said. “We got dominated on the offensive glass, which led to second and third opportunities.”
Aberdeen hosts Shelton in a league game at 7 p.m. on Thursday.
Centralia 21 14 17 16 – 68
Aberdeen 18 19 7 11 – 55
Scoring: Centralia – Bussanich 17, Sprague 12, Erickson 12, Saucedo 10, Guenther 8, Ahern 6, Gunn 2. Aberdeen – Knutson 33, Ervin, 9, Brown 7, C. Kohn 4, Shoemaker 2.
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Taholah 56, Ocosta 35
Taholah proved to be too much for Ocosta in the Chitwhins’ 56-35 1B Coastal League win on Wednesday in Taholah.
The Chitwhins (5-2, 2-1 1B Coastal) held a 26-17 advantage over the Wildcats (3-5, 3-2) at halftime and took control with a 16-7 third quarter, led by junior standout Shirleymae Stafford’s eight points in the period.
Four Taholah players scored in the fourth quarter to close out the 56-35 victory.
Four Chitwhins scored in double figures, led by Stafford with 13 points.
Ocosta sophomore Bristol Towle led the Cats in scoring with a game-high 19 points and had five rebounds, four assists and a steal in the loss.
Junior post Elly Mirante had a double-double with 11 points and a team-best 18 rebounds to lead the Wildcats. Mirante also had three blocked shots in the game.
“We played a really strong first half against a good opponent and competed hard throughout the game,” Ocosta head coach Hunter Hatton said. “We just weren’t able to finish the way we needed to in the second half. I’m proud of the effort and we’ll learn from it and keep building.”
Ocosta hosts Naselle at 5:30 p.m. on Friday.
Taholah faces Mary M. Knight at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday in Taholah.
Ocosta 9 8 7 11 – 35
Taholah 16 10 16 14 – 56
Scoring: Ocosta – Towle 19, Mirante 11, Morris 3, Gutierrez 2. Taholah – Stafford 13, H. Martin 13, Smith 11, N. McCrory 10, Mail 9.
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Other games
Toledo 67, Willapa Valley 9
