Elma faced Tumwater in a non-league matchup as we review Tuesday’s prep basketball action on the Harbor.
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BOYS PREP BASKETBALL
Tumwater 62, Elma 50
Elma lost to a 2A-class opponent for the third time this season 62-50 to Tumwater on Tuesday in Elma.
The Eagles (3-3 overall) trailed 11-4 halfway through the first quarter and 16-8 with two minutes left before closing the gap with back-to-back buckets from sophomore guard JanCarlos Moreno and senior wing Isaac McGaffey.
Trailing 16-12 entering the second period, the Eagles saw Tumwater (2-1) stretch its lead out to as much as 18 points at 36-18 on a steal and layup from junior forward Luke Overbay.
Elma cut the deficit to 38-26 after converting four straight free throws – two each from guard Tanner Moe and McGaffey – with 17 seconds left in the first half.
But a corner three from Tumwater junior guard Jake Reid with 1.5 seconds on the clock put the Eagles in a 41-26 halftime hole.
“That first half was not that bad. They just hit shots,” Elma head coach Matt Ferrier said. “Our defensive pressure forced them to shoot from the outside, and that’s exactly what we were looking for in the first half. They just happened to knock them down.”
RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Elma guard JanCarlos Moreno (left) drives to the basket against Tumwater’s Braeden Konrad during a 62-50 loss on Tuesday at Elma High School.
Elma opened the second half with a 8-2 run capped by a Moreno jumper to cut the Thunderbirds lead to as little as seven points at 43-34.
But the bigger T-Birds – whose outside shooting had gone ice cold in the second half – pounded the ball inside, scoring on four straight possessions from inside the paint to take a 52-36 lead, forcing an Elma timeout with 3:22 on the clock.
After a drive and layup from Tumwater’s Owen Reamer, McGaffey closed out the frame with a layup off an interior assist from Moe to trail 54-38 entering the final eight minutes of play.
With Tumwater continuing to lay bricks from outside the key, Elma worked for the majority of the fourth period to get the deficit under single digits. The Eagles did so late in the frame when a McGaffey steal and emphatic breakaway two-handed slam dunk brought the crowd to its feet followed by a spinning bucket in the paint from Moe.
Trailing 59-50 with less than 1:30 to play, the Eagles ran out of time and were forced to foul. Tumwater converted 2-of-3 free throws over the final minute of the game to hand the Eagles the loss.
“Our adjustment at halftime was to get into their body a little bit more and maybe put it on the deck a little more so they had a little harder time to shoot from 3-point range,” Ferrier said. “Well, they went to the hole and figured out they had a big size advantage in regards to the guys that were playing tonight and they kind of won the game in the paint in the second half.”
Elma shot 40% from the floor on 17-of-42 shooting while Tumwater went 24 of 52 (46%).
The Thunderbirds went 8 of 24 from the 3-point line (33%), with all eight made threes coming in the first half, six in the second quarter.
Elma went 3 of 13 from beyond the arc (23%) and made 13-of-22 free throws (59%).
McGaffey led Elma with 23 points, eight rebounds, two assists, two steals and a pair of blocks.
Moe added 14 points and four assists for the Eagles.
RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Elma’s Isaac McGaffey (3) pulls up for a jump shot during a 62-50 loss to Tumwater on Tuesday at Elma High School.
“The kids knew they could play with them,” Ferrier said of his team. “We just had some specific runs and some opportunities we kind of blundered a little bit. Our free-throw percentage was not very good tonight and in all reality, we missed nine free throws and five or six easy lay ins. … Tonight’s game, we didn’t shoot very well, but we were still in the thick of things to win a basketball game.”
Landon Anchors led Tumwater, scoring 12 of his team-high 23 points in the second quarter.
Elma had 12 turnovers to just six for Tumwater and outrebounded the T-Birds 30-25, including 10-6 on the offensive glass.
The Eagles travel south for their annual trip to the Seaside Tournament. They’ll face The Dalles (Oregon) at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday at Seaside High School.
Tumwater 16 25 13 8 – 62
Elma 12 14 12 12 – 50
Scoring: Tumwater – Anchors 23, Konrad 13, Reid 8, Reamer 6, Balsley 5, Overbay 4, Johnson 3. Elma – McGaffey 23, Moe 14, Moreno 8, Muir 3, Myer 2.
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Ocosta 64, Mary M. Knight 28
Ocosta started quickly and never looked back in a 64-28 rout over Mary M. Knight in a 1B Coastal League game on Tuesday in Westport.
The Wildcats (4-3, 3-0 1B Coastal) leapt out to a comfortable 25-2 lead after one quarter as six different Ocosta players scored in the frame, led by Sonny Beard and Logan White’s six points apiece.
The Owls (1-1, 0-1) played a better over the final three quarters but were unable to overcome the Wildcats lead.
“Tonight, we got off to a fast start on offense, working the ball around and getting good inside looks in the first quarter,” Ocosta head coach Jason Quinby said. “I thought my guys did a good job of seeking the best play in the first quarter. After that, we rotated a lot of guys in and out of the game and it hurt our continuity a bit but allowed a lot of guys to get some varsity game action.”
Twelve Wildcats scored in the game as Ocosta went 28 of 69 from the field (47%) and were led by Beard with 16 points.
Brayden Dungey led Ocosta in rebounds with nine and assists with six.
Ocosta had 47 rebounds (16 offensive), 15 assists, 10 steals and 17 turnovers as a team.
MMK 2 8 11 7 – 28
Ocosta 25 12 17 11 – 64
Scoring: MMK – Lake 8, Walters 8, King 4, Palmer 4, Gilmore-Hulford 4. Ocosta – Beard 16, Priest 9, Turner 7, White 6, Dungey 6, Ashby 5, Bottleson 4, Lewis 3, Solis 2, Bickmore 2, Limon 2, Harthill 2.
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GIRLS PREP BASKETBALL
Pe Ell 41, Willapa Valley 31
Pe Ell handed Willapa Valley a combo-rivalry loss 41-31 on Tuesday at Willapa Valley High School in Menlo.
The Vikings (2-2) shot just 22% from the field on 11-of-51 shooting, which played a key factor in the loss to the Trojans (2-3).
“It was a hard game,” Valley head coach Dawn Keeton said. “We just dind’t make a lot of our shots. I think that was the biggest thing. We didn’t take good shots and when we did take good shots, we didn’t follow them. We forced a lot of things and that kind of hurt things a little bit, offensively.”
Valley scored just 11 points to trail by 10 at halftime as Vikings shooters struggled against the Trojans’ 2-3 zone, with 6-foot-1 senior center Peyton Zock manning the middle.
“They tried to limit us inside a lot, which played to their advantage,” said Keeton, who added her team’s defensive performance, which deflected 17 Pe Ell pass attempts in the game.
“Our defense was top notch, it kept us in the game,” she said. “Getting a hand on the ball and slowing down their offense is huge for us.”
Zock led all scorers with 14 points and 14 rebounds while teammates Ava King and Karli Phelps scored 10 points apiece.
Valley was led by post Tylar Keeton, who scored 12 points and had a double-double with a game-high 19 rebounds and three blocks.
The Vikings had 19 turnovers to 12 for Pe Ell while the Trojans held a 37-31 advantage on the glass.
”It’s always a good rivalry. A lot of respect for them and their coach. They play hard and we know we are always going to get a good game with them,” Coach Keeton said of the rivalry. “You know you are going to get a good game out of them because they’re also going to respect you because, eventually, you are probably going to be playing on the same team as them in another sport. It’s a mutual respect for the athleticism and competition.”
Pe Ell hosts Adna in a non-league matchup at 7 p.m. on Thursday.
Willapa Valley takes on Naselle in a 1B Coastal League game at 7 p.m. Friday at Naselle High School.
Pe Ell 12 9 9 11 9 – 41
Willapa Valley 5 6 10 10 – 31
Scoring: Pe Ell – P. Zock 14, King 10, Phelps 10, Engel 5, T. Zock 2. Willapa Valley – Keeton 12, Fluke 7, Andrews 4, Matlock 3, Ashley 3, Hurley 2.
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Mary M. Knight 54, Ocosta 21
Ocosta had troubles in multiple facets of the game en route to a 54-21 loss to Mary M. Knight on Tuesday in Westport.
The Wildcats (2-4, 1-1 1B Coastal) scored no more than seven points in any quarter of the game and trailed 30-10 by halftime to the Owls (1-4, 1-1).
Ocosta shot 7 for 41 from the field (17%) and committed 31 turnovers in the loss.
“Tonight, was a tough one for us,” Ocosta head coach Hunter Hatton said. “We struggled in a lot of areas, especially taking care of the basketball. Our turnover numbers are something we have to own and fix. We’ll go back to work, clean things up and keep moving forward together.”
Ocosta was led by sophomore Bristol Towle with nine points while teammate Elly Mirante had eight rebounds to lead the Wildcats.
Ocosta faces Crescent in a league game at 4:45 p.m. on Friday at Northwest Christian High School.
MMK 10 20 15 9 – 54
Ocosta 7 3 6 5 – 21
Scoring: MMK – Fletcher 18, Nygaard 17, Reeves 14, Buck 5. Ocosta – Towle 9, Morris 5, Guitierrez 2, Britton 2, Wolfley 2, Mirante 1.
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Other games
Toutle Lake 70, Raymond-South Bend 50
