A Reporter's View of Local Success

Sometimes we take so much pride in our work, that we live vicariously through it. Such is the case for me this week. I watched the success of the six schools that I cover on for my local newspaper and I beamed with pride. So far, four of the schools that are on my beat (Castle Rock, Toledo, Onalaska and Winlock) have qualified teams for the 1A and 2B State Tournament. Two schools, Napavine and Toutle Lake are just one away. Napavine is almost certain to qualify their unbeaten and #1 ranked girls. The Napavine or Toutle Lake boys will get at least one of their teams into the elite 2B tournament in Spokane because their next game is against each other. The loser will be forced to play a “loser-out” game for one of the final spots in the state tournament. This week, I am in heaven as my local teams celebrate their success and I take pride in their success.

After all, it is my job, to support my local schools and their athletic teams. It is a professional responsibility!

Toutle Lake

Coach Larry Hoff meets with his team during a time out early this season.

The Toutle Lake girls scored a first round victory 39-29 over Naselle as Christian Carlson
scored 11 of her 19 points in the 2nd quarter to keep the Lady Ducks in the game. Their defense stepped up and held Naselle to just 9 points in the second half. Meanwhile the Lady Ducks erupted for 25. On Thurs. the Lady Ducks took on the top seed from the Pacific League and dealt them a 46-25 loss. The Ducks went on a 30 to 8 run during the middle quarters. Carlson scored 13 points while Kiana Saluni produced nine. The Lady Ducks are one win away from a state birth. The Toutle Lake girls will face North Beach on Wednesday, February 25th at 5:30pm at W.F. West.

The Toutle Lake boys feature (top left) Dan Schilter (#42), Chris Foster (#24), Jeff Campbell (#32), Brian Nash (#22), Cody O' Connor (#5),
Tyler Elam (#20), Michael Chambers (#1), Zack Hayes (#10), Sage Chapman (#4 not currently with the team, Matt Toney (#2) not pictured Connor Vickaryous and Anthony Heintzman.

The Duck boys survived their first game in the 2B tournament when Tyler Elam hit a last second shot to force overtime with South Bend. Chris Foster exploded for 7 points in the overtime to propel the Ducks to a 50-42 win. On Wednesday, Foster scored 23 of his teams’ 38 points as the Ducks held the tempo in a 38-34 defeat of Adna. The Pirates led by as much as 16 in the 3rd quarter, but the Ducks are developing a reputation for engineering comebacks. The Ducks need just one win for a trip to state but they face Napavine at 6:30pm on Tuesday at W.F. West in Chehalis.

Napavine



The Napavine boys are playing well with a big win over Willapa Valley on Monday and then followed up with an overtime victory against Pacific League #1 seed Naselle. In the opening round , Blake Anthony, Jordan Brown, Justin Smith and Devin Carroll all scored in double figures as they mauled Willapa Valley 69-31. On Wed. it was Blake Anthony that nailed a 3 pointer as time expired as the Tiger overcame the number one seed Naselle. Anthony had 31 points in the game. The boys can punch their ticket to state with one more victory. They face Toutle Lake on Tuesday at 6:30pm at W.F. West.



Thus far, the Napavine girls have not been challenged in the 2B regional tournament. They handled Wahkiakum 51-31 on Thursday. The Tigers highlighted balanced scoring as Ali Brossard, Kristin Lantau and Nicole Hamre, all scored 10 points. Two other players scored 8. The Lady Tigers can earn a trip to state with one more win this week. Napavine will face White Pass at 8:00pm on Wednesday, February 25th at W.F. West in Chehalis.


Onalaska

Samantha Gordon is a floor leader for the state tournament bound Lady Loggers.

The Onalaska girls are perhaps the team playing the best basketball. Amber Durand had a huge night as she led all scorers with 29 points and seven rebounds in an outstanding victory over the Trico League Champion La Center 58-41. Sam Gordon added 10 assists, and six rebounds. On Sat. the Lady Loggers defeated Rainier, a team that had beat them twice before, to earn a trip to the state tournament and a third match against rival Toledo at 8:00pm at Kelso High School on Saturday, February 28th for the District Championship.

Highly respected Coach Dennis Bowers has a talented group of young athletes.

The Onalaska boys continued their winning ways in the SWWA 1A Tournament by defeating Ilwaco 57-38 on Wednesday night. Cody Naillon led the Loggers with 18 points, but a close game became more distant thanks to the defense of Eric Messal and Dalton Ritchey in the 4th quarter. In that eight minute period, the Loggers outscored the Fishermen 24-7.
On Friday night, the Loggers met Castle Rock and suffered their 3rd loss, of the season to one of the hottest teams in the region. Dalton Richey scored 12 points in the 53-41 defeat.

Winlock

Coach Gary Viggers Sr. is in his 11th and final year of coaching at Winlock.

The Winlock boys escaped their 1st round District 4 Tournament game with a 31-28 win over a very clever Kalama team. The Chinooks slowed the pace of the game and hit key shots. Tyler Hertz scored 10 points while Jake Brown added 13 on several assists from Hertz. Stevenson awaited them on Friday evening, but the Cardinals were up to the challenge as they sent the Bulldogs to a 63-46 defeat and earned a trip to the state tournament in Yakima. Jordan Davis led the team with 23 while Jake Brown added 18 points. Both Davis and Brown were the beneficiaries of nine assists by Tyler Hertz.

Castle Rock

Big 6'5" Zack Gehring anchors an offense that features several sharpshooters on the outside.

The Rocket boys drew a SWWA 1A tournament match with Montesano and handled them easily 57-42. Zack Gehring led the Rockets with 18 points and 8 rebounds. On Friday, Castle Rock met up with highly touted Onalaska in the 2nd round of the tournament. Excellent defense and balanced offense amounted to a 53-41 victory over the Loggers. Kyle Karnofski led the Rockets with 11 points, but five other players scored at least 6 points. Castle Rock earned a state birth tournament and will meet Winlock for the district championship on Friday, February 27th at W.F. West in Chehalis.

Toledo

Toledo Head Coach Mandy Olson has her girls playing tenacious defense and taking advantage of every mistake.

The Toledo girls survived a first round match with district rival Forks with a 42-33 win. Kelsy Stone hit a late 3 pointer that went a long way to sealing the victory. On Saturday night, The Lady Indians played wicked defense while Tiffany Tornow nearly had a record breaking night when she buried eight three pointers and amassed 27 points in an 82-47 win over Ilwaco. Candi Zion added 21 points in the victory that gave them a pass to the state tournament. The Lady Indians will face Onalaska at 8:00pm at Kelso High School on Saturday, February 28th for the District Championship.