Taholah celebrated its district-tourney opener in more ways than one as we review Twin Harbors girls prep basketball playoff games.

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GIRLS PREP BASKETBALL

Taholah 71, Oakville 25

Taholah opened up the postseason in style with a 71-25 win over Oakville in the first round of the 1B District 4 Girls Basketball Tournament on Tuesday at Taholah High School.

The Chitwhins (14-5 overall) got rolling in the second quarter. Up by eight over the Acorns (6-12) at the start of the frame, Taholah’s offense caught fire, scoring 24 points in the frame led by the hot shooting of juniors Luvalia Smith (9 points) and Shirleymae Stafford (8 pts.), to take a commanding 39-13 lead at halftime.

Taholah’s offense kept its A-game through the third quarter, extending its lead to 43 points after a 25-point frame led by Stafford with 12 points.

By the time the dust settled, the Chitwhins held a 64-21 lead entering the final period.

PHOTO BY TIA CHENEY Taholah’s Aunnie Markishtum (4) dribbles against Oakville during a 71-25 1B District 4 Tournament victory on Tuesday in Taholah.

“In the first round of districts, I was really proud of how the girls competed in this win. We missed a lot of shots early, but I loved that we didn’t let that affect our effort—we kept working, kept shooting and stayed aggressive,” Taholah head coach Dramikha Jackson said. “We were able to get our younger players meaningful minutes, and they did a great job looking for their teammates and pushing the ball in transition. Overall, it was a strong team win and a good step forward for us.”

Stafford dropped 30 points – including 10 of 15 from the free-throw line (66%) – to lead all scorers.

Smith (16 pts.), senior Noelani McCrory (14 pts.) and sophomore Maliah Pluff (11 pts.) also scored in double figures for the Chitwhins.

It was a special night for McCrory, who surpassed the 1,000 career point plateau and was honored with a ceremony upon doing so.

PHOTO BY TIA CHENEY Taholah senior standout Noelani McCrory (32) is flanked by her family after surpassing 1,000 career points in a 71-25 victory over Oakville in a 1B District 4 Tournament game on Tuesday in Taholah. Noelani is flanked by (from left) sisters Kayleah, Keeliana; grandfather John, sister Nakeah; brothers Rex Jr. and Kekoa; father Rex McCrory and mother Latosha Underwood.

“We’re extremely proud of Noelani for hitting 1,000 career points. This milestone is a testament to her dedication, perseverance, and the positive mark she’s made in Taholah over the years,” Jackson said. “Her older sister, Keah, was the last Lady Chitwhin to hold the 1,000 point ball, so passing it over was truly a special moment.”

Taholah moves on to the district semifinals, where they’ll face Pe Ell in a rematch of last season’s district-title game at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday at South Bend High School.

The winner will earn a spot in the district-title game and the state tournament.

PHOTO BY TIA CHENEY The Taholah Lady Chitwhins pose for a photo with Noelani McCrory (fifth from right) after the senior scored her 1,000th point in a district-playoff victory over Oakville on Tuesday at Taholah High School. Shirleymae Stafford (24) scored 30 points to lead all scorers in the win.

Oakville 7 6 8 4 – 25

Taholah 15 24 25 7 – 71

Scoring: Oakville – Siufanua 10, R. Filitaula 7, R. Blackwell 3, L. Blackwell 2, Tartick 1. Taholah – Stafford 30, Smith 16, N. McCrory 14, Pluff 11.

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Toutle Lake 48, Raymond-South Bend 36

One bad spell of play and some poor shooting led to Raymond-South Bend’s 48-36 loss to Toutle Lake in a 2B District 4 quarterfinal game on Tuesday at Rochester High School.

The Ravens (15-6) led 11-6 after one period of play over the Ducks (16-5) but had signs of trouble late in the quarter and into the second frame.

“Another nice quick start by our kids. Last two minutes of the first (quarter) and the first four minutes of second, we forgot the game plan and missed way too many open shots,” Ravens head coach Jason Koski said.

Thanks to five 3-pointers in the second quarter, three alone from Payton Thayer, the Ducks took a 32-22 lead into halftime.

The Ravens defense held Toutle Lake to eight points in each of the final two quarters, but didn’t hit enough shots to overtake the Ducks en route to the loss.

”Not as many defensive breakdowns the second half, but still didn’t get any shots to fall plus you put yourself at a real disadvantage when you shoot 5-15 from free-throw line,” Koski said. “Great to see us limit turnovers versus a very quick, lengthy guard-oriented team.”

RSB was led by senior forward Kassie Koski with a game-high 17 points to go along with seven rebounds and two assists.

Senior guard Megan Kongbouakhay had eight points and a team-best five assists as RSB committed just eight turnovers as a team in the loss.

The Ravens face Ilwaco in a district-elimination game scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Thursday at Centralia High School.

Toutle Lake 6 26 8 8 – 48

Raymond-South Bend 11 11 8 6 – 39

Scoring: Toutle Lake – L. Dean 15, Thayer 13, K. Dean 7, Spinneberg 7, Kilponen 4, F. Dean 2. RSB – Koski 17, Konbouakhay 8, Baugher 6, Stigall 3.

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Pe Ell 60, Mary M. Knight 20

Mary M. Knight had no answers for top-seeded Pe Ell in a 60-20 1B District Tournament first-round loss on Tuesday at Pe Ell High School.

Still dealing with a rash of injuries and recent illnesses, the Owls (10-10) trailed early after the Trojans (14-7) delivered an early knockout blow.

Mary M. Knight trailed 22-5 after the first quarter of play and were put away by Pe Ell after a 20-2 second frame.

“They dominated us. No ifs, ands or buts,” Owls head coach Jake Goldy said. “We played hard, we just didn’t play smart.”

With two-time 1B Coastal League MVP Cloey Fletcher on the bench for all but five minutes of the game due to dealing with an illness, Mary M. Knight shot just 17% from the field on 8-of-46 shooting and had a season-low 28 rebounds.

Pe Ell was led by Columbia Valley League MVP Karli Phelps and freshman forward Maisy King with 12 points apiece.

The Owls were led by eighth-grade guard Peyton Gonzales, who took over at the point guard position and scored seven points to go along with two rebounds and a pair of steals.

Junior forward Bella Buck also scored seven points for MMK while senior post Andiana Ziegler had a team-best seven rebounds for the Owls.

Mary M. Knight faces Oakville in a district-elimination game at 6 p.m. on Thursday at Raymond High School.

Mary M. Knight 5 6 2 7 – 20

Pe Ell 22 9 20 9 – 60

Scoring: MMK – Gonzales 7, Buck 7, Ziegler 4, Fletcher 2. Pe Ell – Phelps 12, King 12, P. Zock 9.

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Other games

1B District 4 Tournament

First round

Wahkiakum 34, Willapa Valley 29