Elma cuts down the nets after beating Montesano for league title

ELMA — Elma kept Montesano from finishing at the rim, allowing the Eagles to finish their night by cutting down the nets.

Thanks in part to some strong late-game defense, Elma (18-2, 7-1 Evergreen 1A) beat Montesano (12-8, 6-2) 42-35 to take home a 1A Evergreen League title on Friday night in Elma.

The Eagles went into the game’s final frame protecting a 31-28 lead and held the Bulldogs scoreless for the first five minutes of the quarter.

Elma forward Molly Johnston said the Eagles took a lot of momentum from their defensive play.

“We knew we had to play really tough man defense and help each other out,” she said. “We were calling out screens, calling out back picks. We got each other pumped up so that helped us play even better defense.”

Elma’s Alle Bol (right) and Kayli Johnson double team Montesano’s Matti Eckerson in the third quarter Feb. 1 in Elma. (Hasani Grayson | Grays Harbor News Group)

Monte kept things close until the final buzzer and got a 3-pointer from Lexi Lovell that brought the Bulldogs within five with just under a minute to go.

Elma put the game away at the free-throw line and hit four of its five attempts to secure the victory, allowing the student section to rush the court in celebration.

“This feels awesome,” Elma head coach Lisa Johnson said after taking a break from the post-game celebration at half court. “These girls are amazing and they’ve worked really hard for this.”

Elma managed to pull away in the fourth quarter after three periods of back-and-forth action. The Eagles came out hot on a 9-2 run to start the first quarter, which forced the Bulldogs to call a timeout.

Monte appeared to respond after the timeout and had the game tied at 17 with four minutes remaining in the second quarter.

Elma shot 1-of-13 from the field in the second frame but still held on to a slim 21-19 lead heading into halftime.

Monte head coach Julie Graves said she liked the way her team performed on the defensive end of the court, but would have liked to see the Bulldogs take better care of the ball in the second half.

“We turned the ball over too many times throughout the game. There were too many turnovers for us to be playing in this type of game,” she said. “We also didn’t shoot the ball very well and we just kind of seemed out of sync.”

Montesano’s shooters had a hard time getting shots to fall with Jalyn Sackrider patroling the paint. The junior center rejected seven shots and grabbed 10 rebounds to go along with her 18 points.

Elma’s Johnston, who hasn’t been able to put up her usual numbers while she continues to work through an ankle injury sustained earlier this year, came off the bench in Friday’s contest. The senior forward still made an impact when she was on the floor, grabing five rebounds and hitting two late free throws to help close out the victory.

Johnston said encouragement from her teammates has helped get back into a rhythm on the court.

“I love that I can still come in and contribute,” she said. “My teammates all have my back and they all helped me come back from my injury. I love them all so much for that.”

With the win, Elma likely will face Castle Rock in the first round of the Class 1A District IV tournament at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 8, in Elma.

Montesano will also be in action Friday, Feb. 8, with a district tournament game at home against Stevenson at 7 p.m.

Graves was disappointed with the loss and thinks the Bulldogs’ experience playing in front of packed gyms will be an asset going forward.

“It was good for us to play in this environment. We had big crowd at our place and there was a big crowd in Elma, so this should help us in the playoffs, that we have the experience playing in loud gyms.”

Johnson also thinks Elma’s battles with Montesano will help the Eagles going forward, adding the Bulldogs are on par with any team they’ll face in the tournament.

“These are two great teams. Basketball doesn’t get any better than this right here,” she said.

Elma’s Jalyn Sackrider cuts down the net following Elma’s 43-35 victory over Montesano on Feb. 1 in Elma. Sackrider led the team with 18 points to go along with seven blocks and 10 rebounds. (Hasani Grayson | Grays Harbor News Group)

Montesano 10 9 9 7 – 35

Elma 15 6 10 12 – 42

Top Players: Elma – Sackrider (18 pts., 10 reb., 7 blk.), Kali Rambo (7 pts., 4 ast., 5 reb.); Montesano – Zoee Lisherness (10 pts.9 reb.), Zoe Hutchings (6 pts. 9 reb.)

Forks 60, Hoquiam 43

Hoquiam’s season came to an end with a 60-43 home loss to Forks, ending the Grizzlies’ post-season chances.

The Grizzlies (7-12, 0-8 Evergreen 1A) could have forced a play-in game for the 1A District IV Tournament, but struggled when Rylee Vonhof went down with an ankle sprain.

Vonhof sustained her injury in the first quarter and eventually returned to the game in third quarter. The senior post player put up eight points in the final game of her high school career.

Hoquima head coach Denny Hinchen said having Vonhof play limited minutes hurt his team’s abilty to defend the paint.

“They’re bigs went to town on us. When she goes out we give it up on the inside and that’s exactly what happened,” he said. “We had a good game plan coming in, but their interior players went off in the second quarter.”

Forks’ Chloe Leverington was tough for the Grizzlies to handle, scoring 20 points on the night.

Forks (8-11, 2-6) qualifies for the fourth seed in districts with the win.

Hoquiam 4 9 14 16 – 43

Forks 10 20 13 17 – 60

Top Players: Hoquiam — Vonhof (8 pts.) Charlie Eastman-Sampson (12 pts. ); Forks — Leverington (20 pts.)

Raymond 64, North Beach 21

The Raymond Seagulls closed out the regular season in style on Friday, earning a 64-21 victory over North Beach at Raymond High School.

The Seagulls (12-8, 11-7 Pacific 2B) held a 17-12 lead at the end of the first quarter before guard Kyra Gardner took over. The Raymond freshman scored 10 of her game-high 23 points in the second period to lead the Seagulls to a 31-17 halftime lead.

Raymond’s defense shut down the Hyaks (5-15, 5-13) in the second half as North Beach managed just four points over the final 16 minutes of play.

“We settled in on defense and were much more disciplined in our assignments the last three quarters,” said Raymond head coach Jason Koski, who added he was pleased with the way his team shared the ball. “Having 13 assists tonight was a welcome sign.”

Raymond held a 46-24 rebounding edge and committed just 12 turnovers.

Ana Silva chipped in with 14 points for the Seagulls, nine of those in the first quarter where she went 5-for-5 from the free-throw line.

North Beach was led by Lorin Cox, who scored seven points on the evening.

Raymond will host Napavine in the first round of the 2B District IV Tournament at 7 p.m. on Monday.

North Beach 12 5 2 2 — 21

Raymond 17 14 13 20 — 64

Top Players: Raymond — Gardner (23 pts., 10 reb., 8 stl., 5 asst.), Silva (14 pts., 4 reb., 3 asst.), Hannah Miller (6 pts.), Olivia Stigar (6 pts.); NB — Cox (7 pts.).

— Ryan Sparks, Grays Harbor News Group

Wishkah Valley 51, North River 36

Four Wishkah Valley players scored in double figures as the Loggerettes defeated the North River Mustangs 51-36 on Friday at Wishkah Valley High School.

Bailee Buchanan (14 points), Char Gutierrez (12 pts.), Brooke Haskey (10 pts.) and Erica Bomhoff (10 pts.) each scored in double digits as the Loggerettes (8-6, 5-5 Coastal 1B) held of a competitive Mustangs squad.

“North River has really improved over the last time we saw them,” Wishkah head coach Dave Busz said. “They had six threes and shot real well. … We had to make some defensive adjustments, which we did and we slowed them down. I was happy with that.”

North River was led by Eliza Gumaelius, who scored 13 points in the contest.

Wishkah opens up play in the 1B District IV Tournament when they travel to take on Three Rivers Christian at 6 p.m. on Monday.

North River 7 10 11 8 — 36

Wishkah Valley 14 11 14 12 — 51

Top Players: Wishkah — Buchanan (14 pts.), Gutierrez (12 pts., 10 reb.), Haskey (10 pts., 12 reb.), Bomhoff (10 pts., 8 reb.), Mackenzie Robertson (5 pts., 10 reb.); North River — E. Gumaelius (13 pts.), Naomi Olson (8 pts.), Ruby Gumaelius (7 pts.).

— Ryan Sparks, Grays Harbor News Group

Taholah 40, Mary M. Knight 30

The Taholah Lady Chitwhins earned a 1B Coastal League championship with a 40-30 victory over Mary M. Knight on Froday at Taholah High School.

Taholah (15-4, 9-0 Coastal 1B) was led by Denise Curleybear, who scored 12 points on the evening.

Teammate Nettie Mall added 10 points, including four free-throws late in the game, for a Lady Chitwhins team that saw its 23-14 halftime lead dwindle until securing the victory with a fourth-quarter push.

“Mary M. Knight came to play and gave us a run for our money,” Taholah head coach Fred Pope said. “When things got tight, our seniors slowed the game down and made some plays to make sure we kept our lead. … I am proud of our seniors that have helped us get to where we are right now.”

Kaylee Sowle led the Owls (15-4, 8-2) with a game-high 19 points.

With the win, Taholah earns the league’s top seed and a first-round bye entering the 1B District IV playoffs. The Chitwhins’ first playoff game is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 9 at Ilwaco High School (opponent yet to be determined).

Mary M. Knight enters the postseason as the 1B Coastal League’s No. 2 seed and will host the winner of the Wishkah Valley-Three Rivers Christian game on Wednesday (time to be determined).

No further information was available for this game at the time of this writing.

— Ryan Sparks, Grays Harbor News Group

BOYS PREP BASKETBALL

Taholah 48, Mary M. Knight 44

Led by sophomore JauVon James-Juneau’s 14 points, the Taholah Chitwhins secured a league championship with a 48-44 victory over Mary M. Knight on Friday in Taholah.

In front of a packed house, the Chitwhins (14-6, 10-0 Coastal 1B) used an up-tempo pace and pressure defense to edge the second-place Owls (12-8, 8-2).

“It was one of those night where both teams wanted the win. It was a back-and-forth battle to the end,” Taholah head coach Tyler Crossguns said. “I have to shout out to all the boys for fighting through this one. … Don’t take anything away from MMK, they wanted it. We just wanted it more.”

In addition to James-Juneau’s 14 points, Taholah’s James Dan scored 12 points with Izaiah Mowitch adding nine points for the Chitwhins.

Mary M. Knight was led by Isaiah Compton, who scored a game-high 18 points in the loss.

Dylan Ralph added 12 points for the Owls.

With the victory, Taholah earns the league’s top seed and a first-round by in the 1B District IV Tournament. The Chitwhins are scheduled to play on Saturday, Feb. 9 in Ilwaco (opponent yet to be determined).

The Owls, the 1B Coastal No. 2 seed, will host a playoff game on Thursday, Feb. 7 (opponent yet to be determined).

No further information was available for this game at the time of this writing.

— Ryan Sparks, Grays Harbor News Group

Other scores

Forks 64, Hoquiam 55 (Hoquiam finishes third in the 1A Evergreen League with the loss).