A fourth-quarter comeback led the Elma Eagles to a win over the Hoquiam Grizzlies as we review Thursday’s prep sports on the Harbor.
PREP GIRLS BASKETBALL
Elma 26, Hoquiam 25
Elma used a fourth-quarter surge to erase a second-half deficit and pick up a 26-25 victory over Hoquiam on Thursday at Hoquiam Square Garden.
After its offense struggled to just seven points in the first half and trailing 22-12 at the end of the third quarter, Elma found its groove.
The Eagles (2-4 overall, 1-1 1A Evergreen), which had hit five field goals through the first three quarters of the game, hit five in the fourth quarter as Hoquiam’s offense went cold, scoring just a single 3-pointer by Charli Sampson-Eastman in the frame.
As the final buzzer sounded, Elma had erased a double-digit deficit to pick up the win.
“(Elma head coach) Brandi (Henry) has her team playing with amazing effort and they found a way to come back and take the lead in the fourth quarter. I just could not find a way to help our team tonight,” Hoquiam head coach Chad Allan said. “We make no excuses, but hurt our cause getting in foul trouble early and often tonight. I have total faith in my team’s ability to play smarter, but I cannot fault the effort.”
Elma shot 24% as a team on 10-of-41 shooting from the field and hit 5-of-19 (26%) from the free-throw line.
The Eagles were led by Aubrey Moore’s six points while Jackie DeMoss and Emmie Spencer scored five points apiece, with all of Spencer’s scoring coming in the fourth quarter.
Sampson-Eastman led Hoquiam (5-4, 0-2) with eight points, eight rebounds and five steals.
The Grizzlies shot 8-of-47 (17%) as a team from the field and 6-of-12 (50%) from the charity stripe.
Hoquiam takes on Montesano at 6 p.m. on Saturday in Montesano with Elma travelling to Eatonville to take on the Cruisers at 7 p.m. on Monday.
Elma 6 1 5 14 — 26
Hoquiam 5 6 11 3 — 25
Scoring
Elma (26) — Moore 6, DeMoss 5, Spencer 5, Janessa Sample 2, Aaleigha Weld 2, Hannah Warren 2, Eliza Sibbett 2
Hoquiam (25) — Sampson-Eastman 8, Graci Bonney-Spradlin 6, Katie Burnett 4, Kamryn Krohn 3, Ashlinn Cady 2, Ella Folkers 2
PREP BOYS BASKETBALL
Black Hills 69, Aberdeen 51
Aberdeen dropped a 2A Evergreen Conference matchup to Black Hills on Thursday at Aberdeen High School.
The Bobcats (1-11, 0-6 2A Evergreen) were hampered when leading scorer Andrew Troeh went down with an injury in the first half and was unavailable to play until after the break.
Several players stepped up in Troeh’s place, including Kale Goings, who led Aberdeen with 14 points, and Luka Pisani, who scored eight points in the second quarter, his only quarter of eligibility after competing in the junior varsity game earlier in the evening.
“Saw more improvement tonight and younger players are getting more comfortable with experience,” Aberdeen head coach Mark Buckman said. “Kale has put extra time on his offensive skills and they are beginning to pay off.”
Aberdeen trailed by four after the first quarter, but a big 23-14 quarter in favor of the Wolves (7-6, 4-2) gave Black Hills a commanding lead at halftime.
The Wolves extended the lead to 55-28 by the start of the fourth quarter.
Black Hills had three players score in double figures, led by Johnnie Stallings’ 19 points.
Bobcats sophomores Manny Garcia and Baylor Ainsworth also scored eight points apiece for Aberdeen.
“Proud of the team’s effort and just grateful for competition,” Buckman said.
Aberdeen is scheduled to take on WF West at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Chehalis.
Black Hills 12 23 20 14 — 69
Aberdeen 16 12 10 13 — 51
Scoring
Black Hills (69) — Stallings 19, Luke Ellison 11, Andre Byoune 11, Harrison Pilon 5, Jack Ellison 5, Christian Cooper-Davis 5, Xander Shepler 2
Aberdeen (51) — Goings 14, Pisani 8, Garcia 8, Ainsworth 8, Isiah Watson 4, Kyle Miller 3, Jacobi Kozak 2, Andrew Troeh 2, Ashdon Swope 2
Ilwaco 73, South Bend 25
South Bend found it tough to score against the league’s top team in a 73-25 loss to Ilwaco on Thursday in South Bend.
South Bend (1-6, 0-6 2B Pacific) trailed 30-3 after the first eight minutes of the game against the undefeated Fishermen (10-0, 8-0).
Ilwaco had three players score in double figures, led by standout sophomore Beckett Turner, who led all scorers with 18 points.
South Bend was led by Ty Reidinger and Branson Williams, each of whom scored nine points in the game.
“It is always tough playing against a team like Ilwaco. They are big, fast and shoot well,” South Bend head coach John Schray said. “I can say that our effort was great. Even down as much as we were, we never let up.”
South Bend is scheduled to face Forks at 7 p.m. on Tuesday at Forks High School.
Ilwaco 30 20 16 7 — 73
South Bend 3 6 8 8 — 25
Scoring
Ilwaco (73) — B. Turner 18, Morris 16, Hopkins 14, Needham 6, Glenn 5, Cutting 3, J. Turner 3, West 2, Kuhn 2
South Bend (25) — Reidinger 9, Williams 9, Josh Flynn 6, Jordan Posada 4, Justin Yi 2, Jacob Carlson 2