Area High Schools Enter the Field of Play this Week

The Toledo Cheer Squad pulls out the tradional banner during a football game in 2008.

With the beginning of school, also starts a season where coaches start sorting out the damage done by graduation on the field of play. While the first football games started last Friday, Volleyball, Soccer and Cross Country all start this week and next in our local high schools.

While Napavine dominated the local sports scene with powerful football (state champions), basketball and baseball (3rd place in state) teams, it looks like an exciting year for Onalaska with many exciting athletes returning to all sports.

The Napavine Football team is well positioned to make another run at state under the leadership of Head Coach Josh Fey.

In football, the Tigers won the 2B state championship in 2008 with a unit that developed as a smooth, effective operation through the season. They replace a few athletes, but return most of their skill players. Onalaska has perhaps the most exciting athlete in the area in Dalton Richey. With a couple of receivers developing, Onalaska could dominate the local 1A scene. Winlock takes on a dark-horse status after a two-win season with a young team barely affected by graduation and a couple of new athletes added to the campus. Toledo returns one of the best passers in the person of Andrew Blair, to grace area football fields in recent history. Expect the Indians to play total team ball and compete for a spot to state. Toutle Lake may be in a rebuilding year after graduating many great athletes, but expect Castle Rock to field a solid team despite the loss the great Zach Gehring and Kyle Karnofski among many others.

Onalaska Volleyball Coach Susan Gordon has a bevy of returning talent in the Lady Logger athletic program.

The Lady Loggers look to compete very well with Toledo on the Volleyball court as both schools bring back athletes and coaches in very proud programs. Other volleyball programs to watch include 2008 State Runner-up Castle Rock. Even with the graduation of five seniors off the 2008 team, the pipeline of talent will continue.

Olanlaska takes pride in not only its ability to field a competetive team, but host large meets like this one last fall.

Onalaska Cross Country will also bring back huge numbers of harriers to compete at the district level.

Rock-On and Castle Rock split two classic battles in 2008. Rock-On went on to State, could 2009 be the year for a rapidly developing CR program?

Count on three very good soccer programs from Castle Rock, Rock-On (a combined group from Onalaska and Napavine) and Toledo-Winlock United to battle for local supremacy.

Yes, it is that time of year; Entire communities come out to support their local student-athletes on the field of play and old rivalries are renewed with a new generation of athletes and fans.

Winlock Cuts District 4 1A Nets

Angel Sanchez, Tyler Hertz (#3), Nathan Booth (#21) Jordan Davis (#20) and rest of the District 1A Champions hold up the trophy on Friday night.

Winlock Cardinals basketball:

Effective, vigilant, astute, keen, brisk, striking, capable, athletic.

Ready for State.

Finding adjectives to describe the play of the Winlock Cardinals on Friday night was more difficult than the time they had dispatching Castle Rock 65-42 in the SWWA 1A District Championship game.

Winlock's floor leader Tyler Hertz (#3 in white) had 12 assists on the night.

Looking for THE source of success was almost as difficult. There was big Jake Brown who had 24 points, seven rebounds and several assists. There was the sparkling leadership of Tyler Hertz who scattered 12 assists. Finally, there was the lunch pail twins Nathan Booth and Jordan Davis. Booth accounted for 19 points, generally within the paint and 6 rebounds while Davis quietly produced a double-double with 10 rebounds and 11 points. He also had three assists.

Jake Brown (#24) and the rest of the Winlock defense held Rock big man Zack Gehring (#5) to just 10 points on the night.

A long paragraph only covered the offense. Winlock’s extended defense allowed only one Rocket three pointer and the inside game gave up only 10 points to Rocket big man Zack Gehring. The occasional Rocket score usually resulted from individual athleticism by Chris Tinnney, Steven Horsley, Kyle Karnofski and Dustin Hamilton.

“We came out hitting on all cylinders,” said a pleased Winlock Head Coach Gary Viggers Sr. about their start to finish domination. The Cardinals jumped out to a 9-2 lead and were never behind.

Only three times did the Rockets even score consecutive baskets to make up any ground on the Cards. Down 39-25 in the 3rd quarter . Gehring sank a 6 foot fade-away followed 30 seconds later by Steven Horsley drive through the key.

While Winlock was deliberate, Castle Rock frequently pushed the ball in transition, having only limited success.

It was Winlock that kept applying the pressure with run, after run. The most crushing was a 10-0 run in the 4th quarter that took the score to 63-38.

“You could tell that we wanted it”, said Viggers. “We packed a pair of scissors with us”

During the 1st quarter, Winlock scored 8 of its points when Hertz found Brown roaming the baseline without proper homage. In fact, much can be said about the play of Jake Brown; As a rebounder, a prolific scorer and a defender. It was the team that made Brown this evening.

“It was our best game as a team,” he said when asked if this was his best game of the year.

Perhaps no moment marked the night better than when Hertz found Brown with a perfectly executed ally-oop dunk that grabbed the loudest cheer and extended murmur. This wasn’t a lower echelon team that the boys could play with before the coach replaced them with subs. This was a rival and a good one at that. A team that blew them out in this same game a year ago, 52-32. This wasn’t about revenge. This was about momentum. Something to pack-up for a trip to Yakima.

Both teams now head to the WIAA State Tournament, but only one has a pair of nets and the District IV trophy.

Retiring Winlock Coach Gary Vigger's Sr. makes use of the scissors he brought to W.F. West on Friday night.

Cardinals 65 Rockets 42

CASTLE ROCK 42-Mike Murry 3, Chris Tinney 4, Zack Gehring 10, Steven Horsley 7, Kyle King 0, Travis Johnson 0, Brad Williamson 0, Kyle Karnofski 8, Dustin Hamilton 6, Cameron Erdlebrock 0, Sam Reebs 0

WINLOCK 65-Tyler Hertz 5, Collin Kuppers 0, Tyler Diamond 2, Mike Kent 4, Angel Sanchez 0, Jordan Davis 11, Nathan Booth 19, Nick Hoven 0, Tyler McCarthy 0, Jake Brown 24, Matt Hoven 0, Bryson Coleman 0

Castle Rock 12 10 13 7-42
Winlock 19 16 14 16-65

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.

Winlock Passes the Kalama Test

It was test time for the Kalama Chinooks at the Southwest Washington 1A District Tournament at Castle Rock on Wednesday night. Could they apply what they learned in two previous meetings with powerful Winlock and play the role of spoiler?

Winlock was the winner of 61-30 and 59-45 contests in the home and home, pre-season series. Geography has a funny way of catching up to teams that think they have seen the last of each other.

This time, Kalama almost found the secret but fell just short as the Cardinals held on to a 31-28 first round victory.

The question is how do you prepare for a team that runs 6’5, 6’6” and 6’9” when your two giants are 6’4”?

Viggers didn’t notice anything different in Kalama from the two previous meetings back in December. “We watched film and didn’t notice any changes”, he noted before the game. Viggers was wrong and Kalama Coach Jody Stemkoski was playing coy.

Stemkoski had similar sentiments. “We already played them twice, we didn’t practice anything different”.

Kalama Guard Brandon Walker let out the secret after the game. “We wanted to control the tempo. Don’t let them have the ball," he shared. “They can’t score if they don’t have the ball. We needed to slow the game down and box out. Back in December, we were running all over the place.”

Kalama clearly struggled early with Winlock’s long arms and tall frames as they employed a 1-3-1 defense that resulted in several traps and turnovers as the Cardinals took an early 5-2 lead. The Chinooks however, found the three ball mid-way through the 1st . Brandon Walker hit two while Brandon Chiodo sank one early to score 9 of the Chinooks 11 1st quarter points.

After the flurry of threes by Kalama, Winlock employed quick 5’7” guard Nick Hoven to pressure the Chinook ball handlers and shooters in the front court. Kalama’s last three occurred just 1:23 into the second

“We had to do something,” contributed Viggers after the game. The strategy with Hoven was a success.

In the 3rd quarter, Brandon Walker continued dumping threes as he hit two more but 6’2” Winlock point guard Tyler Hertz found away to bite into the Chinook zone. With his play down low, Hertz maneuvered for a 6 points and forced a foul on Pollock. He finished the night with 10 points.

The 4th quarter featured more defense, a couple of turnover and missed shots before Pollock broke into the Cardinal zone and was fouled by the Cardinal’s Jordan Davis and earned an old fashioned three point play to tie the game at 28.

That was the last of the Kalama scoring.

“We rebounded fairly well and did a pretty good job of not giving them too many second opportunities, observed the Kalama Coach. “I told the kids if they hung in in the end and make the plays they needed to w would get the opportunity to make the play. We just happened to have a turnover.

“We had opportunities to win and we just have to regroup from here, added Stemkowski.

Winlock will now face a quick Stevenson team in the second round while Kalama will play Rainier in a loser-out game.

Cardinals 31, Chinooks 28
KALAMA ( 28) — Brandon Walker 12, Robby Sanders 4, Ryan Chiodo 3, Jordan Wall Matt Pollock 4, Brandon Osterlund, Logan Kallwick, William Colberg, Logan Nelson 5, Jacob Neiman, Jonathon Pittard, Austin Hauser
WINLOCK ( 31) — Nathan Booth 5, Jake Brown 13, Jordan Davi 3, Tyler Diamond Tyler Hertz 10, Mike Kent , Tyler McCarthy Angel Sanchez, Nick Hoven , Collin Kuppers, Bryson Coleman, Nick Hoven, Phillip Smerek,
Kalama 11 7 6 4— 31
Winlock 10 6 10 5—28

Evergreen/Trico Boys Tournament Discussions

With Rainier beating Winlock on Tuesday, that put them in a position to claim the a high seed in the Evergreen Conference. Meanwhile Toledo's loss to Forks and then Fork's overtime loss to Rochester knocked out Toledo and then dropped the Spartans to the 5th place spot in the Evergreen.

Kalama and Ilwaco ADs will be in phone contact with each other . The boys' teams are tied now and if both win or both lose there will be a playoff Saturday at La Center.

The loser hosts Forks on Monday.

The game on Monday now looks more competitive depending which team from Froks shows up.

Evergreen
Winlock, Onalaska, Rainier, Montesano and Forks

Trico
Castle Rock, Stevenson, Ilwaco and Kalama

Winlock Hands Onalaska a 2nd Defeat

Sometimes, a seemingly insurmountable lead can evaporate in just minutes. On Saturday night a ten point lead by the Winlock Cardinal nearly disappeared in the 4th quarter of an SWWA 1A, Evergreen Conference marquee match with Onalaska. The Cardinals scored three points in the 4th quarter but it was enough to stay unbeaten in league play as Winlock defeated the Loggers 39-37.

Winlock’s Tyler Hertz (left) and Jordan Davis (#20) stops Onalaska’s Dalton Richey under the basket. Richey led all scorers in Saturday’s game with 16 points.

Onalaska came out fast and took an 11-10 lead after the 1st quarter, but the Cardinals came back and out scored Ony 15 to 4 in the second stanza. With 7 points from Jordan Davis and contributions, usually 2nd chance rebounds from Tyler Diamond, Jake Brown and Nathan Booth.

The third was played to an 11-11 push. But Dalton Richey began to assert himself as a slashing scorer as he earned 7 of his 16 points during a five minute portion of the 3rd. Winlock took a 36-26 lead into the final period.

Onalaska’s Jeff Swett tries to back down Winlock’s Nathan Booth in the 3rd quarter of their game on Saturday night.

Onalaska took advantage of a Winlock scoring drought with Jeff Swett grabbing a rebound and putting it back up and in. Richey went to work scoring off of an inbounds play narrowing the lead to 36-30. Winlock then turned the ball over in the backcourt and then Richey was fouled slashing to the bucket. He dropped both free throws and then Winlock proceeded to turn the ball over twice more leading to another Richey bucket and then a visit to the foul line by Eddie Miles. In all the Logger executed an 10-0 run from 52.9 seconds in the 3rd until 1:21 left in the 4th.

Miles however, contributed to the Loggers ten missed free throws at a key moment. In all, Onalaska went 11-21 from the free throw line. Winlock shot only eight times from the charity stripe, converting six on the evening.

Winlock is most dangerous on the offensive boards and Jake Brown proved that on a put-back with 1;21 left in the 4th.

Mike Kent (left) of Winlock “denies” Onalaska’s Brady Stanley the ball. Stanley is a prolific scorer but Winlock’s defense often prevented him from getting the ball.

19 seconds later, Brady Stanley got lose for his only shot of the game and was fouled by Cardinal Senior Tyler McCarthy. Stanley sunk the free throw leading the Loggers to within one at 38-37.

With 40.9 seconds, Winlock’s Nathan Booth was fouled and went to the free throw and hit the front end of a one and one to make the final score of the game at 39-37.

Onalaska had the final opportunity to tie or win as Jeff Swett had the ball under the bucket but was surrounded by Cardinals. The ball found its way to Richey, whose 20 foot plus shot flew only 16 feet just before the game ending buzzer.

“We knew they would come back on us,” said Winlock Head Coach Gary Viggers Sr. “We just had to be ready” said one of the calmest guys in the gym after the game.

Dalton Richey led all scorers with 16 points while Jordan Brown led the Cardinals with 14 points. Jake Brown had 12 rebounds in addition to his 9 points.

Winlock is now 12-0 in the Evergreen Conference while Onalaska falls to 12-2. Onalaska plays Rochester and Toledo as well as a non-conference game against Willapa Valley this week. Winlock will visit Rainier on Tuesday and host Montesano next Friday.

_______________________________________________________________________________

ONALASKA-Dalton Richey 16, Jeff Swett 10, Eddie Miles 5, Cody Naillon 3, Brady Stanley 3, Eric Messal 0, Zach Barnes 0, Kolby Steele 0

WINLOCK-Jordan Davis 14, Nathan Booth 11, Jake Brown 9, Tyler Hertz 3, Tyler Diamond 2, Mike Kent 0, Tyler McCarthy 0


ONALASKA-11 4 11 11-37
WINLOCK 10 15 11 3-39

Onalaska Ends Cardinal Winning Streak

It almost came again. The patented Winlock come-back that has become nearly expected of them. Two weeks ago, it was Toledo and last week it was Rochester and Forks, but this time, it fell short as Onalaska hung on to earn a 35-30 1A Girls Evergreen Conference win. The game was eerily similar to the game played in Onalaska with the Lady Loggers applying a stifling full-court press allowing a 13-4 Onalaska advantage after the 1st quarter.

Onalaska Girls Head Coach Doug Ashmore (right) and Winlock Head Coach Scott Ashmore watch their respective teams complete a pre-game warm-up.

“Doug likes to change up his defenses, “ said his brother and Winlock Head Coach Scott Ashmore who’s team gave up 25 turnovers.

“We played several different types of defenses,” acknowledged Onalaska Head Coach Doug Ashmore. “We have the press and the 1-3-1 that works into a trap on top,” he pointed out.

The Lady Cardinals came back to within four at halftime based on poor Onalaska shooting. Ony had an 0-for in the 2nd quarter and went 1-6 from the free throw line. Tasha Sayers scored the only field goal of the 2nd quarter as the Lady Cards went 4-7 from the charity stripe.

Onalaska's Kalie Richey scored 15 points in Onalaska's 35-30 victory over Winlock on Monday.

While it was Kalie Richey that scored early and often totaling 15 points for the Loggers, Hailey Givens came out after half and lit up the nets with four straight points taking the Onalaska lead to 18-10.

Amber Durand had a quiet night scoring only 11 points with four of those on steals and transition baskets.

With 4:08 left in the game, the predictable Winlock comeback began in earnest when down 28-20, Courtney Sutor drilled a three and then Julie Jacobo took a steal on the inbounds right up and in. Suddenly it was a three point lead and the “Bird Cage” (Winlock gym) began to get noisy.

Winlock's Tessa Lawrence tries to tie-up Kalie Richey, but ended up fouling her instead.

(Courtney) “Sutor started breaking us down,” said Doug Ashmore who was impressed by her ability to drive and become a shooting and passing threat in the same motion.

With 3:34 to go, Samantha Gordon hit a silencing three ball.

Winlock came back with two buckets of their own to get within two at 31-29 and then Durand banked-in a shot from the left side of the paint.

Winlock’s Amber Buckman was fouled on the other end and made one of two free throws with 1:09 to go.

Onalaska had a difficult time bringing the ball up the floor, but the Cards had an equally hard time making a steal that wouldn’t go off their fingertips and out of bounds. Three times, Winlock was guilty of tipping Ony passes only to lose them off the court.

It was Durand who was fouled with 11.6 to go that iced the game with two free throws.

With 11.6 seconds to go, Onalaska's Amber Durand sank two free throws that iced the game for the Lady Loggers.

Tasha Sayers led Winlock with 10 rebounds while Kalie Richey grabbed 8 for the Lady Loggers.

“We had too many turnovers and we couldn’t hit shots said Scott Ashmore, the Winlock Coach. \

A winning streak in the Evergreen Conference has to be accompanied by near perfect play and that doesn’t happen every night. This night, Onalaska put a good enough game together to leave Winlock with the victory.

ONALASKA-Kalie Richey 12, Amber Durand 11, Hailey Givens 7, Samantha Gordon 3, Mandy Reynoldson 2, Amie Working 0, Sarah Barnes 0, Erin Wrzesinski 0, Regan Givens 0,

WINLOCK-Tasha Sayers 7, Julie Jacobo 6, Amber Buckman 5, Courtney Sutor 5, Kaley Crawford 4, Tessa Lawrence 3, Kayla Rakes 0, Amanda Suter 0, MacKenzie Spalding 0, Jill Craft 0

ONALASKA 13 1 12 9-35
WINLOCK 4 6 8 12-30

Great Wins and a Winlock/Onalaska Teaser

First of all, I need to give kudos to the Napavine, White Pass and Centralia boys for big wins late last week. For Napavine and White Pass in the Central 2B, it just means more suspense in a league in which nobody wants to, or can dominate. I might also mention that Adna also turned in a 60-45 victory over Pe Ell, a team that had knocked off Napavine just a few days earlier.

Admittedly, I was harsh to Centralia early in the season but they have settled into where I thought they would be within the Evergreen 2A. In my mind, they are behind River Ridge and Hoquiam and Tumwater is right behind the Tigers. Centralia put on an illuminating performance knocking off Tumwater 75-64 at home. Now if Hoquiam would only get out of their dreary manner.

Barring floods, blizzards and other potential disasters, the long anticipated match-up between 14-0 Onalaska and 14-1 Winlock is going to occur this week. The two will meet on Tuesday in Onalaska and then again on Saturday (this game was rescheduled from late December) in Winlock. The Loggers bring a number of tough covers including Senior Eric Messal who has been a prolific scorer off the bench.

Winlock can play just about any kind of game but would prefer a patient, half court set to utulize their size and talent close to the basket. We have had glimpses of what Tyler Hertz can do in a faster pace and a fast-paced, transition game may not be to the advantage of the Loggers.

The Cardinals must also stay out of foul trouble.

For more read previous posts.

Finally, the red hot Lady Cardinals will meet Onalaska tonight in Winlock. Coming off wins over Toledo, Rochester (2) and Forks, they may be considered the hottest team in the 1A Evergreen tangle. In the meantime, the Lady Loggers have been stepping through the tough Evergreen schedule and turning up with a few bruises. Onalaska handled Winlock at home fairly well by a score of 38-27. Every team's goal seems to be centered around preventing Logger Senior Amber Durand from achieving huge numbers.

Last Second Shot Propels Lady Cards Over Toledo

I told you the Evergreen Conference was going to be a minefield.

Winlock Senior post Tasha Sayers hit a three pointer with 3.4 seconds to go to give Winlock a 52-50 upset of Toledo this evening.

Toledo led throughout the game, but Winlock climbed slowy back from a double-digit deficit beginning in the 3rd quarter.

District 4 Results

Boys Basketball

Winlock 71 Montesano 40
Onalaska 52, Toledo 32
Mossyrock 85, Vancouver Christian 38
White Pass 69, Columbia Adventist Academy 58
Ilwaco 67 Naselle 64
Lake Quinault 43, Wishkah Valley 41

Girls Basketball

Kelso 63 Ridgefield 43
Mossyrock 61, Vancouver Christian 14
Toutle Lake 46, Pe Ell 42
White Pass 66, Columbia Adventist Academy 17
Wishkah Valley 33, Willapa Valley 31
Ilwaco 45 Naselle 34

_______________________________________

Winlock 71 Montesano 40

Four Cardinals scored in double figures as Winlock cruised to a 71-40 1A Evergreen League victory over Montesano on Monday. Nathan Booth had 20 points while Jake Brown had 19 points for the Cardinals. Derek Jensen had 12 for the Bulldogs.

Winlock's Nathan Booth and Jordan Davis (left) double team Montesano's Josh Tyler in the corner during a 1A Evergreen Conference game Monday night.

WINLOCK-Nathan Booth 20, Jake Brown 19, Jordan Davis 14, Tyler Diamond 4, Tyler Hertz 12, Mike Kent 2, Tyler McCarthy 0, Angel Sanchez 0, Nick Hoven 0, Collin Kupers 0

MONTESANO-Jack Aldrich 6, Tyler Fry, Evan Truax, Kale Tremble 1, James McCulloch 0, Josh Tyler 4, Sean McNealley 9, Gabe Thompson 6, Joe Benedict 0, Derek Jensen 12 Doug Benedict

Winlock 17 22 17 15-71
Montesano 4 9 16 11-40

Brown Finishes Tough Mountaineers

The Winlock Cardinals went on an 11-3 run in the last 3:15 to nail down a 44-34 SWW 1A Evergreen Conference win over a scrappy visiting Rainier team.

6’9” Winlock Senior post Jake Brown was responsible for seven of the final 11 points as the Cards salted the game away. “They were starting to panic because we came out strong “ Brown said of the 4th quarter run by the Cardinals.

Scoring in this game came slowly with a first quarter advantage of 11 to 6 for Winlock. There were plenty of opportunities, but Winlock shot for just 35% in the first half. Rainier’s 6’5” Senior Bradon Franklin scored from underneath to tie the game at 14 with 1:11 to go befor the break. At 50 seconds, Jordan Davis hit the only three of the night for the Cardinals to take the 17-14 advantage into the locker room.

Franklin scored the first bucket of the 2nd half then Rainier’s 5’10’ shooter Jacob Fox hit a three to tie the game at 19 after a Jordan Davis bucket. The Cardinal’s Tyler Diamond grabbed a rebound and scored a put-back before the Jordan Davis show began.

The 3rd quarter featured a scoring drought of nearly four and a half minutes after Tyler Diamond scored two of his six points and grabbed one of his 11 rebounds. “He played great,“ said Winlock Head Coach Gary Viggers Sr. “We told him all along that is going to happen. They are always going to put their weakest guy on him. You have got to really work hard and be prepared.”

Winlock's Jordan Davis shoots a free throw early in the game. Davis finsihed with 16 points and half of those came in a 70 second period during the 3rd quarter.

When the drought came to an end, the weather-maker was Davis, Jordan Davis. In a 71 second period, the Winlock Senior had two steals and 8 points to power a 10-0 Winlock run that gave the Cardinals a 29-19 lead at the end of three quarters.

Rainier's Jacob Fox (#4) finished the game with 13 points, most of which were from beyond the arc.

Early in the 4th quarter, the Mountaineers rode back, with Franklin working for two, Fox hitting two threes and Kyle North scored on a transition steal to even the score at 29 with about six minutes to go. While it was Davis in the 3rd, Jake Brown took the game over with about four minutes to go. He put an exclamation monster jam with 45 seconds to go.

Winlock's Jake Brown was named the "Player of the Game" by Comcast Sports who were on hand broadcasting the game for distribution on Varsity Sports.

Tyler Hertz had five assist for Winlock while Brown had 5 blocks. Hertz and Junior MikeKent also had three steals for the Cardinals.

It wasn’t a thing of beauty for the 4th ranked Cardinals, and you almost saw relief on Viggers face. “We were just a little too keyed up,“ he explained. “We were standing around watching each other when they shot and that is what we went over at half time. We got to play our basketball“.

More Winlock basketball will be played at Montesano on Monday where the Carinals (10-1, 4-0) will play the Bulldogs. Rainier (6-3, 3-1) will visit neighboring Tenino on Monday.

Rainier 6 8 5 15-34
Winlock 11 6 12 15-44

RAINIER-Chris Ashby 2, Brandon Eygabroad 4, Brandon Franklin 9, Mitchell McComb 0, Kevin McCrea 0, Kyle North 6, Alex Proffitt 0, Tyler Schaff 0, Matt Tietjen 0, Kevin Volesky 0, Jacob Fox 13, Dalton Delio 0
WINLOCK-Nathan Booth 5, Jake Brown 15, Jordan Davis 16, Tyler Diamond 6, Tyler Hertz 2, Tyler McCarthy 0, Angel Sanchez 0, Nick Hoven 0, Mike Kent 0, Bryson Coleman 0, Collin Kupers 0

Winlock Sports New Uniforms

This goes under the heading of better late than never, but while I attended the Winlock game on Monday night, I couldn't help but notice a change in the
presentation.

Winlock Senior Point Guard Tyler Hertz appears in the new "home whites" during Monday's game against Tenino.

The Winlock Boy's Baskteball teams sported new uniforms during their 57-14 drubbing of a young Tenino team. The new garb are the result of a fund-raisng effort of parents and several local businesses.

The Latest News Tribune Rankings

Now I am not real big on rankings where you can't personally see the teams in some form, but the season it is getting to the point where there might be some legitimacy using some comparisons. The Tacoma News Tribune is out with its latest rankings and District IV is well represented, especially at the 2A level.

3A

Columbia River is the lone representative of District IV at the 3A level ranked 5th. This level is dominated by District 2 with Rainier Beach, Franklin and Bellevue retaining the top three spots.

2A

Mark Morris with its two losses is ranked 2nd while River Ridge is 4th. Still unbeaten Centralia (When I saw Centralia I was not impressed and don’t believe they have played a difficult enough schedule to warrant this ranking) is close behind in 6th and will have a headline game against River Ridge on Friday. Hoquiam lost to Yelm this week dropped all the way to 9th. Be sure to give your thought s one of this weeks polls!

1 A

Winlock didn’t even play a game last week but moved up two slots to 4th . District 3 dominates the rankings at this levels with Vashon Island ranked #1 ahead of Port Townsend in 2nd.

We will give updates when the rest of the rankings are made public.

Cardinals Can’t Top Logger Defense

Amber Durand (#25) of Onalaska challenges a shot by Winlock's Kaley Crawford (#13) during a game on Friday evening.

The Lady Loggers of Onalaska displayed their signature defense and an opportunistic nature during a 38-27 SWW 1A Evergreen Conference victory Friday evening.

The match also contained a sub-plot as brothers Doug and Scott Ashmore faced each other as basketball coaches for the first time. Doug won this meeting but they are not strangers in baseball. Scott Ashmore has been the baseball coach at Adna while Doug has coached nine years at Onalaska. “It is kind of stressful being family and coaching against each other, “ said the Onalaska Coach Doug Ashmore. “You know, you got to talk about those things at Christmas time.”

The 1st quarter of this match-up saw a deluge of unforced Winlock turnovers as they went on to total 20 through the evening while the Lady Loggers were credited with 14 steals. Ony had a tough time hitting the rim, let alone putting the ball through the hoop early in the game.

The key word is opportunistic. A transition basket here and a three pointer there.

In time, the Lady Loggers began to cash in on offensive rebounding opportunities and their strong 1-3-1 zone that held Winlock to just 28% shooting. “Mandy Reynoldson does a great job up top. And really forces the girl so we can get traps out of it,” explained the Onalaska Coach. “Our whole team really knows the system. It is a good defense and the girls have really bought into it. They love doing it so it causes a lot of havoc.”

Winlock's Kayla Rakes (#41) is set to defen Onalaska's Mandy Reynoldson (#23) during Friday nights 38-27 Lady Logger victory.

After two quarters, Onalaska took a 22-9 lead into the locker room, but a different Winlock team appeared in the 3rd quarter. Winlock Junior Point Guard Courtney Sutor seemed to take the rest of her team on her slight back as she drove and forced three fouls mid-way through the 3rd stanza. In the process she converted a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to eight points.

Amber Durand struck right back with five of her 23 points to extend the lead.

Winlock’s Julie Jacobo hit a two and then Amber Buckman scored five straight points to narrow the Ony lead to 29-25 at the end of the third quarter.

While Durand was effective, she complimented Winlock Junior Julie Jacobo with successful defense on her for a portion of the game. In the next breath, Durand complimented her teammates. “I think we are doing pretty well,” she said. “We are all getting our defense back together.”

While Durand led her team in scoring and rebounding with 8, Samantha Gordon added 7 assists. Haily Givens assisted with 7 rebounds of her own but it was the Cardinals that won the rebounding battle 36-28.

Onalaska Coach Doug Ashmore was also complementary about Winlock’s “help” defense that caused some poor shooting. “This will be a good test to see on film because they sagged a lot to help. We have to figure out some offensive stuff. They way they were sagging and we have got to come up with something to give our girls confidence in shooting.”

Ashmore saved last compliment of the night for his brother the Cardinal Coach. “My brother has done a good job with them and they have improved and they play good defense. They gave us fits”

Winlock, 6-3 and 0-3 will visit Tenino while Onalaska 4-2 and 2-0 will host Forks on Tuesday.


Winlock 4 9 10 4-27
Onalaska 8 14 7 9-38


Loggers 38 Cardinals 27
WINLOCK-Courtney Suter 10, Tasha Sayers 8, Amber Buckman 5, Julie Jacobo 4, Kaley Crawford 0, Amanda Suter 0, Kayla Rakes 0 MacKenzie Spalding 0, Jill Craft 0
ONALASKA-Amber Durand 23, Hailey Givens 4, Kalie Ritchey 3, Mandy Reynoldson 2, Samantha Gordon 2, Sarah Barnes 2, Regan Givens 2, Erin Wrzesinski 0

My Early Season All-Stars

Call it my own early season All-Star team, but after having observed a few teams this year, there are a number of ball players that have been striking.

First of all, I can’t help but have my share of bias. I was a “true” point guard and love to watch a good #1 at work. Second, I have been to six of eight Winlock games and there is a good probability that I won’t miss another.

Having that, here are some of the players on my All-Star team at this young point in the season.

Point Guards

Brandon Walker, Kalama
Robby Sanders, Kalama
Tyler Hertz, Winlock
Mason Keller, Napavine

Wings
Blake Anthony, Napavine
Jordan Davis, Winlock
Nathan Booth, Winlock
David Wallace, Toledo

Post
Jake Brown, Winlock
Zack Gehring, Castle Rock

Honorable Mention
Jeff Campbell, Toutle Lake
Sage Chapman, Toutle Lake
Dustin Hamilton, Castle Rock
Cody O’Connor, Toutle Lake

Top Defenders
D.J. Herbert, Toledo
Matt Waltenberg, Napavine

Floods Cancel Games

It should be no secret that the floods are going to cause many more serious problems than canceling high school basketball games, but one of the first victims was tomorrow night's Winlock-Onalaska game. The community of Onalaska is located along the Newaukum River which is forecasted for floods never observed before. We wish all of the flooded communities our best.

Division 4 1A Game of the Week-Onalaska at Winlock

So, I will get my first look at the Napavine Boys and Girls tonight as they host Columbia Adventist. The game of the week has to be a match-up between Onalaska and Winlock on Thursday.

Winlock of course is off to a 6-1 record and Forks tonight. The regional press, myself included, has been all over them. Little unassuming Onalaska will come to Winlock most likely unbeaten (barring disaster tonight in Tenino).

Coach Dennis Bower has the Loggers playing as well as can be expected with a rough, physical defense with a combination of quickness, depth and sharp shooting from the outside (Cody Naillon, Brady Stanley and Dalton Richey) along with some good strong rebounding with the associated put-backs on the inside (Jeff Swett). Remember that one of the two regular season losses that the Cardinals took last year was the home match against the Loggers.

The most telling victory the Loggers have on the young season is against Napavine. Many of those players were still lining-up for football in early December, but the Tigers have been impressive enough to handle other teams of notoriety.

While Winlock can be confident, smaller teams give them problems. Kalama spread the floor and had success as did Fortuna, California who has given them their only defeat on the season. Many Northern California observers were stunned by that loss after watching the Cards dominate a far more impressive Del Norte team.

The Cardinal’s Jake Brown should be efficient with the Logger inside game, but the rest of the Onalaska athletes could be a challenge for Winlock.