Both Willapa Valley’s boys and girls basketball teams competed in the 1B District 4 championship games on Saturday at Montesano High School.

PREP BOYS BASKETBALL

Willapa Valley 67, Naselle 40

Four players scored in double figures and some key second-half technical fouls led to Willapa Valley winning its first district title since 2005 with a 67-40 victory over Naselle in the 1B District 4 title game.

In a rematch of last season’s district-championship game, Willapa Valley (19-4 overall) held a 12-6 lead at the end of the first quarter but saw the Comets (15-8) charge back to take a 24-21 lead at the half.

The Vikings committed 15 turnovers in the first 16 minutes of the game and got into foul trouble that led to bonus free-throw opportunities for Naselle.

“I never saw us play this tight,” Willapa Valley head coach Jay Pearson said of his team’s first-half performance. “Naselle played harder, faster and more aggressive and it took us out of our game.”

PHOTO BY LARRY BALE Willapa Valley guard Tyler Adkins (3) drives to the basket during Willapa Valley’s 67-40 victory over Naselle in the 1B District 4 title game on Saturday in Montesano.

But fortunes changed in the second half as the Vikings “adjusted to Naselle’s speed and physicallity” to assert their will.

Late in the third quarter, Willapa Valley’s Kolten Fluke was fouled shooting a 3-pointer. The junior guard made all three free throws, during which the Naselle coaching staff was given a technical foul.

Fluke converted the technical free throws and Willapa Valley converted the possession into points.

Moments later, Naselle head coach Bill Olsen was hit with his second technical foul. The Comets coach was ejected from the game and Fluke converted his sixth and seventh straight free throws during the stretch.

Another Vikings score on the ensuing possession turned a close game into a Willapa Valley rout.

The Vikings outscored the Comets 27-11 in the third quarter and 19-5 in the fourth to earn their first district title under Pearson’s tutelage.

“It was something that’s always eluded us,” said Pearson, who joined his father, Vikings legend Jack Q. Pearson, as district-champion coaches at the school. “We were up on the RPI in the top four and we needed this win to set the table going into state. Obviously, our goal is to win state. Usually, when stuff is lined up like that we don’t pull through. This is the first time we did what we were supposed to do.”

Senior Gavin Hampton lead Willapa Valley with 18 points — 16 in the second half — on 7-for-11 (64%) shooting.

PHOTO BY LARRY BALE Willapa Valley’s Gavin Hampton (12) scores two of his team-leading 18 points in Willapa Valley’s 67-40 victory over Naselle in the 1B District 4 title game on Saturday in Montesano.

Kolten Fluke (17 points) and Tyler Adkins (12 pts.) also scored in double figures for Willapa Valley as did Grady Christen, who played what Pearson called “his best game all year” with 11 points, six rebounds and five assists.

Ten of Adkins’ 12 points came in the first half in a performance Pearson said “kept us in the game.”

“Proud of those kids,” Pearson said. “They played together since the third grade. … It was neat to see them calm down and play ball. … Tonight, they battled through it and they did it.”

Willapa Valley, currently ranked No. 4 in the WIAA RPI rankings, will find out its state regional matchup Sunday afternoon.

Willapa Valley 12 9 27 19 — 67

Naselle 6 18 11 5 — 40

Scoring

Willapa Valley (67) — Hampton 18, K. Fluke 17, Adkins 12, Christen 11, Clements 6, Keeton 2, Western 1

Naselle (40) — N/A

PHOTO BY LARRY BALE Willapa Valley’s Lanissa Amacher, middle, is surrounded by the Naselle defense during the Vikings’ 33-24 loss on Saturday at Montesano High School.

PREP GIRLS BASKETBALL

Naselle 33, Willapa Valley 24

Willapa Valley’s scoring woes reared its ugly head at the most inopportune time as the Vikings lost to Naselle 33-24 in the 1B District 4 championship game on Saturday in Montesano.

The Vikings (12-9) scored just two points in the first quarter and five in the second to trail 16-7 at the half.

After climbing back into the game with a 15-point third quarter to trail 26-22 entering the final eight minutes of the game, the Vikings went cold from the floor in scoring just two points in the final period.

“If you score two points in two quarters, you aren’t winning,” said Willapa Valley head coach John Peterson, whose team shot 9-for-41 (22%) from the field in the game, including 2-for-17 (12%) in the first half.

Willapa Valley senior Lanissa Amacher led the Vikings with 16 points, seven rebounds and three steals.

“She was the only reason we were in the game,” Peterson said of his all-league senior.

The Comets (12-9) shot just 29% from the field on 13-for-45 shooting and were outrebounded by Willapa Valley 29-22.

“That was some of the best defense we played all year,” Peterson said. “We were outstanding.”

Hannah Hamilton led the Vikings with nine rebounds.

Peterson said the loss “was painful” but that he was proud of his players.

“I told them I’m really proud of them, I love them and we are still going to regionals,” he said. “It shows heart and character that they never gave up on themselves or each other.”

Naselle 12 4 10 7 — 33

Willapa Valley 2 5 15 2 — 24

Naselle (33) — Katyrniuk 13, Shrives 9, Tarabochia 8, Dalton 2, Reitz 1

Willapa Valley (24) — Amacher 16, Coady 4, Patrick 2, Hamilton 2